A Twist in Fate
by Destinystruth
Summary: Kaylie has finally made the decision to end her life, but due to a twist of fate, she finds herself locked inside a childhood TV show, with only one person who she hasn't spoken to in months to help her get back. Join her as she tries to get back home and not ruin the lives of the cartoon characters she so adored in the past. Set in the Waking the Dragons season of Yugioh.
1. A New Evil Part 1

Kaylie tugged on the ends of her newly cut hair with one hand while the other tapped away on her laptop. Her eyes were red from staring at a computer screen all day, making the blue irises look extra bright in the soft glow. It was past midnight, but the eighteen year old blond couldn't sleep. Always thoughts would swirl around in her mind into the ungodly hours of the night. Always she would find herself restless and unable to be at peace. Tonight it had proved too difficult to stay in bed, and she'd left her room to sit on the couch in the family room.

Tonight she was thinking about her new start. Cutting her hair had just been the beginning to reinventing who she was now that she had graduated from high school. Soon her family would be moving to a new location and no one would have to know where she lived unless she wanted them to. College was only a few months away and she was more than ready to begin.

Still, her mind refused to let her sleep. Questions and guilt plagued her mind as she thought about the past school year. She'd screwed up. So many people had been hurt and it was all her fault. The feeling of self loathing that she now had for herself was a terrible burden, and she was going to stop it.

Kaylie finished tapping out her last message to her friends and family on her computer. She read it over again, tears finally spilling over. This was not a shotgun decision. The option of suicide had crossed her mind many times before, and now, it was the only one. She was sure of it.

Thunder rolled along outside. With her laptop plugged in, the teen knew that it would be better to hurry and finish in case the storm interfered with anything. Having electronics plugged in during one of the summer lightning storms was not a smart idea, but her old laptop didn't work unless plugged in. She quickly tapped out the changes she wanted to make to the suicide note, then moved the mouse so it hovered over the save button. Kaylie took a deep breath, suddenly hesitating. This is what she wanted wasn't it? A quick glance over at the pill bottle beside her and the accompanying picture rekindled the desire inside her. Her finger fell on the mouse button.

At the same exact time, a bolt of lightning struck the roof of the house. Sparks flew from the electrical outlet and Kaylie stifled a scream. Her family would sleep right through the lightning, but not a shout of alarm. She quickly composed herself and went back to her laptop. The screen was black and it wouldn't turn back on. She sighed and stood up, turning to glance at the clock on the kitchen stove. It too was black. The power must have been cut off by the storm. The girl picked up the pill bottle and tossed it back in the medicine cupboard. She would have to wait another day to end the Hell she was living in.

Just as Kaylie turned to go downstairs to her room, a faint glow in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She slowly turned around to face the TV in the family room. The screen was full of static dancing back and forth, lighting the room up just a little. The teen furrowed her brow and reached for the light switch, eyes still trained on the TV. She flipped it into the on position. Nothing happened. Her eyes flickered back to the clock, which was still dark. How on Earth could the TV be on when the power was out. Her feet slowly moved forward even though her mind was screaming at her that this was how all the dumb people in horror movies died. She stared at it as she moved closer, then bent down. Nothing seemed to be amiss. She stared a little longer and then finally moved her hand up to hit the power button.

A searing pain shot through her fingertips and up her wrist. Her vision began to have static of its own as she tried to pull her hand away. Her thoughts began to fade as she turned to look behind her and see the family room disappearing, almost like she'd been pulled into the television. As her vision filled with black and white dots, Kaylie distantly wondered if she'd fallen asleep at her computer, then, everything went dark.

* * *

The blond teen winced as she opened her eyes, her whole body still tingling. She looked up and gave a shout of alarm as she came face to face with something she hadn't seen in six years. The blue elf looming over her smiled gently and held it's hand out. Kaylie slowly put her hand in the monster's hand and it lifted her up. "Mystical Elf... But that can't be right... Can it?"

The elf smiled again and nodded slightly. The teen glanced around the alley she had somehow landed in and then down at her hands. "This can't be real. I must have gotten an electric shock when I touched the TV and now that I'm passed out I'm having strange dreams." However, the girl couldn't shake the feeling that she'd never before dreamed this vividly. She looked back up at the elf, who shook her head slightly. "Not a dream?"

Suddenly, a scream sounded through the alley way as a person looked in, "There's another one! It's attacking that girl!" Mystical Elf looked back at Kaylie with wide blue eyes and disappeared in a flash of light.

"Wait!" Kaylie reached her hand out, but the monster was long gone. The person who had scared off the elf came running over, followed shortly by another person.

"Are you okay? Did it hurt you at all?" The random boy asked, his brown eyes full of concern. His friend also looked concerned, but his attention was mostly on her left arm.

"I'm fine..." Kaylie turned away, not in the mood to talk to actual people. She could hurt people and screw up their lives, and whether this was a dream or not, she couldn't take that chance.

"You don't have a duel disk," The other boy pointed out, holding his own up.

"I'm not a duelist," The blond stated flatly. "I haven't touched a duel monsters card in six years."

The two boys looked shocked. "But everyone around here is a duelist," The first boy mumbled.

"I have to go," Kaylie quickly started walking, then running as far away as she could. She had to figure out what was going on, and find a way to get back home.

One of the boys called after her, but she ignored him, letting her feet carry her who knows where. She turned around to look behind her to make sure the boys weren't following her when she ran into someone, falling to the ground. "I'm so sorry!" She quickly picked herself back up and brushed her clothes off, then looked at the person she'd run into. Or two people. The girl let out a small gasp and whispered, "No way..."

"The beast will swallow the sun..." Unphased by her little blunder, Rex Raptor continued the strange babbling he'd probably been doing for hours. Distantly Kaylie wondered if Yugi and his friends had already been by here, puzzled by the ramblings of the two duelists in front of her. She was just about to walk away when she turned and realized something. "Wait a minute..." She stood up next to Weevil, the other duelist who stood near her, then Rex. She stepped back. "That's so wrong." Despite being 5'8" in her own world, in this world, she was just as short as the two in front of her. "Why am I so short?" Slightly frustrated, she jabbed a finger into the side of Rex's head. He groaned slightly and fell over on top of Weevil, who also fell over. They remained comatose on the sidewalk. _Well if Yugi hasn't already stopped by here, I may have just ruined an entire part of the story's plot..._

Kaylie's thoughts were suddenly ripped apart by yet another scream sounding not too far away. She looked at the unconscious duelists, shrugged, then took off towards the sound. As she ran, she tried to piece together everything she knew was about to happen. It had been six years since she'd even thought about the TV show she'd watched as a child, but she hadn't missed a single episode. Her and her older sister had watched it diligently, without fail, every Saturday morning. Whether this was a dream or not, she was in it, and she had full control of what she was doing. She figured it would be best to try and not ruin things with her presence, and get out of here as fast as she could before people's souls started disappearing. That was the point they were at in this particular story. A season coined Waking the Dragons, easily distinguishable by the duel monsters around town and Rex and Weevil blubbering their heads off about the end of the world.

Finally, she arrived to the source of the screaming. She stopped, completely shocked. The thing about watching the show was that you never saw what all the characters were doing at once, and this was one character she hadn't expected to run into. Mokuba Kaiba stood a few feet away, surrounded by monsters he probably believed to be holograms until recently. He was clutching his arm, probably where he'd been attacked by one, trying to figure out how to get away. Kaylie looked around, trying to find a duelist who could help, but it seemed everyone had gone inside. The streets were empty. She looked back in time to see one of the monster's charging for another attack. The girl immediately started running, grabbed Mokuba by the arm, and pulled him along behind her as she pushed past one of the other monsters. She continued running down the street, hearing the explosion of the attack behind them.

Finally she stopped, breathing heavily, and turned to face the child prodigy, whom she also, was no taller than. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Mokuba immediately adopted an indignant attitude towards the girl who saved him. "You didn't need to run in like that. They're just holograms."

"Tell that to your arm," She noticed he was still clutching it in pain. "Whether they're holograms or not, you needed help. Let's get you..." She was about to say home, but then she realzied she had no idea if going home would do Mokuba any good. Did he live at home with his brother, and if so, wouldn't his brother be at work? Or was their house connected to their building? She just didn't know, so she changed what she was going to say, "Back to your brother."

Mokuba sighed, "I know the way and you don't have to come, but I suppose you'll be wanting some sort of reward..." He started walking away, and Kaylie followed, simply because she had no clue where she was in this city, or where she was going.

"No, I don't need any reward. You don't have anything I could possibly want," She stopped, knowing full well she had no money or clothing to change into, and they had practically everything she needed.

"Then why are you following me?" Mokuba snapped.

"I-" Kaylie stopped. Could she say anything about her situation without sounding totally crazy, and would it really help her any to say it? She looked at Mokuba, who was obviously used to him and his brother being used again and again for their money. She sighed. "I'm lost."

Mokuba's eyes softened, "What do you mean?"

"I... I was trying to get back home. I was really sick and not thinking clearly. I must have gotten off the wrong flight or something because I have no idea where anything is." She looked at the ground. She couldn't tell him the whole truth. The last thing she needed was to end up in a mental hospital. "I don't have any of my luggage or money. I don't know what I was thinking..."

Mokuba turned around and walked back towards her, "Here. You can come back to Kaiba Corp with me. Maybe my brother and I can help you out. Sorry about snapping. Sometimes people purposefully set us up to get money and they don't really need it."

"It's fine..." Kaylie started walking with Mokuba. "I understand."

"Where do you live?" Mokuba led the way, ocassionally looking back at the girl.

"I live in America..." Kaylie looked down at the sidewalk. "In the western states."

"And you somehow ended up in Domino Japan?" Mokuba frowned. "That's weird."

Kaylie laughed, "The circumstances were very strange. I wasn't thinking very clearly."

"Your parents should have known better than to let you fly alone when you're that sick..." Kaylie started laughing and Mokuba looked back at her, surprised. "That is what happened isn't it?"

The blond shook her head and looked at the poor confused boy, "I'm eighteen years old. I'm technically an adult, but still a teenager. My parents don't have custody over me anymore. I'm my own guardian now."

Mokuba blushed, embarrassed, "I'm so sorry! You just... You don't..."

"Don't look eighteen?" Kaylie smiled and shook her head. "It's okay." She mentally made note that she needed to find a reflective surface and see what her cartoon self looked like, because in her world, she looked eighteen, maybe older.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Mokuba would look back every so often, but his looks were more puzzled than they had been before. Kaylie continued to stare at the ground, wondering what on Earth she was going to do when they got to Kaiba Corp. Kaiba couldn't help her out. He didn't believe in other worlds and she was not going to be the one to try and convince him she was from one. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone to check the time. She frowned when it said 00:00._ It must not work here._

Mokuba turned and pointed to a super tall building in front of them, "We're almost there." He continued walking, and Kaylie followed. When they reached the front, he opened the door and they stepped inside. Mokuba led her to an elevator and they rode all the way up in silence. Mokuba stepped out when the doors opened and walked down the hall. Guards stood on either side of the walkway. Kaylie tentatively stepped out and started walking towards him. Suddenly, she found her arms pinned to her side and she was thrown to the ground. Mokuba turned, "Wait stop!" A sharp pain shot through her stomach and rib cage, then another. It took her a few seconds to register that the guards were beating her up. Mokuba kept screaming at them to stop, but they weren't listening. "Hold on! I'll get Seto!" He took off down the hall.

It was only a few seconds before Kaiba came running down the hall, but it seemed like forever to the girl as she was beat up for seemingly no reason. "Stop right now!" Kaiba's voice was extremely commanding and the beating instantly ceased. "What is going on here?"

"Mr. Kaiba!" One of the guards stood up straight. "You told us to take care of any suspicious people that ever return to Kaiba Corp with your brother."

Kaiba threw an icy glare at the guard, "I said if they looked like they were trying to get a reward for something. This is a little girl!"

"She's eighteen Seto," Mokuba mumbled under his breath. Kaiba looked over at Kaylie in shock.

"Sir..." One of the guards started to speak, but Kaiba quickly shut him down.

"You are all dismissed. Pack up your stuff and don't bother coming back," Kaiba turned to Kaylie and frowned. "Mokuba..."

"She really did save me Seto! It wasn't a set up. She didn't even want a reward!" Mokuba helped her into a sitting position and cupped his hand over hers, which were holding her bleeding nose.

"Then why is she here?" Kaiba sent one of his cold stares at the girl and she shivered.

"She's lost!" Mokuba looked at his brother, pleading. "She was sick and flying alone. She got off the wrong flight and now she's stranded here. Please let us help her Seto!"

Kaiba's gaze softened as he looked at his little brother, "I'll send someone to come help her get cleaned up. I've got to get back to figuring these holograms out." He turned on his heel and walked away. Kaylie watched him leave, her vision growing fuzzy.

"It's okay. My big brother's going to take care of you," Mokuba looked her in the eyes. "You're going to get home just fine okay? I'm sorry about that. Seto has taken security extremely seriously ever since Duelist Kingdom..."

"It's okay..." Kaylie winced. "It's not that bad..." Even as she spoke her vision went dark and she allowed herself to pass out.

* * *

"You don't know her name, but you brought her here anyway?" Kaiba's sharp voice cut through the nothingness Kaylie had been enjoying.

"She helped me out! I couldn't leave her on the street..." Mokuba's voice was very soft as he continued to argue with his older brother.

"By the looks of it, she would have been better off on the street. Three broken ribs! What were they thinking?" It was a female voice that Kaylie didn't recognize.

"You didn't even ask her name..." Kaiba's grumpy tone wasn't quite as harsh as it had been before.

"I didn't think it really mattered," Mokuba burst into tears. "I'm sorry Seto! I just wanted to help her!" Kaylie heard him get up and run from the room.

"Mokuba wait!" Kaiba's footsteps followed after, then whoever the other person was left shortly. Finally, Kaylie forced her eyes to open. She was in a room that was plainly decorated. There were a few medical tools her and there, but it didn't quite feel like a hospital room. She started to sit up, but stopped when a searing pain went through her chest. Three broken ribs... She thought. So this is what a broken bone feels like. She turned and looked at the bedside table. Her phone sat there, and to her surprise, a deck of duel monsters cards. She picked them up and started going through them. Shock ran through her body. These were her cards! They were the cards she used when she was twelve years old! That's right... She suddenly remembered finding them while she was packing her room and sticking them in her pocket because she was too busy to find a box to put them in. They've been with me all along... She turned and picked up her phone, and to her surprise, it read 8:00 pm. She quickly went into her contacts and dialed her dad's number. The phone started ringing, then cut off. She frowned and tried her mom's number. The phone did the same thing. She was about to throw it in frustration when something caught her eye. A text message. Curious, she opened it and froze when she saw the name of the sender. That couldn't be right. It said it was from Zac, but her and Zac hadn't spoken for months. He'd told her that they couldn't ever be friends a long time ago. Shaking, she read the message.

Where are you Kaylie? This isn't funny. Everyone is worried sick!

"How on earth..." She looked at the phone. "Why did your text message go through, of all people?" Then it hit her, _I blocked his phone number! He kept sending those texts and I couldn't take it anymore because he said we weren't friends and I blocked his number! So now his messages are being sent out to random places in the cyber world, and my phone is now in one of those places, so it's picking them up!_ That's when she realized... If she were going to believe that theory, she'd have to believe this wasn't a dream, and somehow, the storm had thrown her into a different world. She stared at her phone. "I wonder..." She quickly dialed the number she'd memorized so long ago, and held the phone to her ear. It started to ring... Once... Twice... Three times. Her heart skipped a beat when a tired voice answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Zac! Oh my gosh it worked!" The teen girl winced as another sharp pain went through her body.

"Kaylie why are you calling? It's like... 3 in the morning... Go back to be- Kaylie!" Suddenly the tired voice sounded more awake. "Where are you! Wh- Ea- inking!"

Kaylie frowned. She didn't have a very good connection, and who knew how long the phone would last. She needed to act quickly. "Zac stop! Just listen for a minute okay? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, but barely..." The voice was soft now.

"Listen carefully. I need you to go to your TV, and turn it to a static channel. I don't care which one. Leave it there! I don't know if this is going to work, but I need you to place your phone by it, and wait. Do you understand?" Kaylie had no idea what she was saying, she just had a feeling this would work.

"Yes... But I don't understand what's goi-" The phone connection went dead. Kaylie sighed and set the phone down. Hopefully he wouldn't get all mad like he always did and ignore her request. Due to unforeseen circumstances, it seemed he was the only connection she had with her world. She slowly drifted off, hoping her plan would work. Otherwise, she may never get home...

* * *

Zachary stared at the phone in his hand. After everyone had heard about Kaylie's disappearance, he'd assumed it was for attention, and he'd sent her a quick text. They hadn't spoken in months since he'd told her they were no longer friends. It was now completely silent in his house again. He had tried calling back, but the phone would ring then stop calling. He wondered if he should try to do what she said, but it sounded so ridiculous. He rolled his eyes and started to go back to sleep. Kaylie was so dramatic sometimes. She'd probably just left home to get some attention.

Just as he was about to fall asleep again, Zac sat up. What if he was wrong? What if she had been kidnapped in the middle of the night, and she was trying to get him to see something the kidnappers were airing over a static channel? It seemed crazy, but he couldn't sleep until he'd figured it out. Sighing, the red headed boy rolled out of bed and trudged into his family room. He switched the TV on and made sure the volume was down low. He set his phone next to it, and watched the screen. It wavered, then slowly, an image started to come through. His heart started beating fast, and his phone went off. A message from Kaylie.

If you get this, keep watching the screen, no matter what.

Zac stared as a room came into focus. A blond girl sat in the bed, sleeping. Around her stood some cartoon characters from a show he used to watch when he was younger. He frowned. What was she getting at? He sighed and continued to watch.

* * *

Kaylie woke to Mokuba gently shaking her arm. She sat up slowly with his help, and found herself looking directly at Kaiba.

"So you live in the midwestern United States?" Kaiba's tone was way more calm now, and his eyes looked a little red, along with Mokuba's. Kaylie guessed they'd had a heart to heart discussion.

"Yes." She whispered.

"What is your name?" Kaiba folded his arms, waiting for her answer.

"My name is Kaylie..." She looked down at her hands, which were resting lightly on the blanket.

* * *

At first, Zac hadn't recognized the blond girl. Kaylie had always had really long hair, but this girl's hair was short. When she said her name, Zac almost threw the remote across the room. She'd called him just to show him she'd gotten herself on a kid's TV show? That was so utterly immature, he was about to turn the TV off when she spoke again...

* * *

"You fixed my phone didn't you?"

"You need it to get a hold of someone to come get you don't you?" Kaiba's mouth turned back to a hard line.

"I don't think anyone can come get me..." Kaylie felt tears stinging her eyes. She hadn't cried at all, but the thought of being completely lost suddenly hit her hard.

"Why not?" Kaiba demanded. "Don't have enough money?"

"There is no one else..." She whispered softly, the tears spilling over.

Kaiba stopped, surprised, "What do you mean?"

"My family... They're... Not here." She looked up at Mokuba. "I'm kind of on my own."

Mokuba looked at his older brother, and his older brother sighed, "We'll be right back." The two left the room, leaving her once again, alone. Suddenly, her phone went off. She picked it up.

What is going on Kaylie? This isn't funny.

She quickly tapped out a reply, relieved that her idea had actually worked.

I think you know what... I didn't believe it at first either...

* * *

Zac dropped his phone in shock. There was no way that could have just happened. He'd seen her receive his text, and shortly after she'd replied, his phone went of with the same reply. This couldn't be real...

"Hard to believe isn't it..." Kaylie's voice had a slight laugh to it. "That I'm stuck inside a TV... And you can hear everything I'm saying, but I can't hear or see you?"

Zac blinked. It seemed like she was talking to herself, but he knew she was talking to him. There had to be a reasonable explanation to this.

"There was a storm last night Zac... Remember?" She spoke softly, staring at the wall in front of her. This had to be the oddest thing that had ever happened to him. "It did something to my TV... And it sucked me in somehow. I'm stuck here. I need your help. Zac you're the only one my phone can communicate with in the real world... Please... Can we forget what happened in the past, just for a bit, until I can be home again?"

Zac stared at the screen, watching his once best friend cry silently. He picked up his phone and tapped out a reply.

Yes.


	2. A New Evil Part 2

(First off, thank you so much for the interest and the great reviews. I wasn't going to update this until next week, but I decided to do another chapter today. As you may notice, the chapters follow along nicely with the episodes, so some of them may be a little shorter or longer than others. To answer some questions I got, I didn't intend for this to be an OC romance story at all. I just don't know who Kaylie could possibly fall for, but who knows what will happen later on. :) Thanks again, and enjoy.)

* * *

Kaylie set her phone down after reading the text. Even though she knew she needed Zac's help, she still wasn't sure how he could help her. She pulled back the blinds that were covering the window near the bed and looked out at the city. She wasn't too high up, and the scenery had changed, so she couldn't be at Kaiba Corp anymore.

At that moment the door opened, and a tall woman walked in. The way she was dressed let Kaylie know immediately that she was the doctor, and when she spoke, she recognized the woman's voice from before. "Mr. Kaiba had to leave to go take care of some work things." She busied herself, taking Kaylie's blood pressure and temperature. "But as soon as he is finished, he's going to make arrangements for you to fly back to the United States and get you home."

"Thank you..." Kaylie frowned. Going back to the United States in this world wouldn't be going home for her. In fact, it might make her more lost than she was now.

"Mr. Kaiba is a very busy man though, and I can't guarantee he will be seeing to this personally. You understand?" The doctor looked up from her clipboard. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and a pair of glasses were perched on her nose. At that moment a funny thought came to Kaylie. The doctor almost looked normal. As normal as you could look when you're a cartoon character. What if she wasn't the only one who had been drawn here from another world? Could there be others? "Miss?" The doctor was looking at her quizzically.

"Oh! Yes. I understand." Kaylie fiddled with the fringe on the blanket that had been placed over her.

"Good. Now, as you may have noticed, there is probably some severe pain coming from your chest. This is because in the ah... earlier incident... you cracked three of your ribs. Now unlike other broken bones, these are not wrapped up. You just have to be careful when breathing and not cause yourself too much pain. You should be able to get up in the morning. Understood?" The doctor looked up from her notes again.

"Yes thank you." Kaylie went back to staring out the window and didn't say anything more until the doctor left. The lights of Domino Japan made her ache for her small town back in her world, where you could actually see the stars at night. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of her reflection for the first time in the glass. She almost fell out of her bed. Hesitantly she reached her hand out and touched the glass around her face. Not only was she short, but her face shape and eyes just gave her the look of a younger kid. She jumped when her phone buzzed on the table. Quickly, she picked it up.

You do look a little different.

"A little?" She muttered. "I look like a freaking twelve year old kid. Why am I so short?" A few seconds later, the phone went off again.

Maybe it isn't meant to show your age.

"But show my innocence?" She snorted. "You and I both know I'm not exactly innocent Zac. I-" She stopped. No. She was not about to pour her heart and soul out to him. Not again. Not after what it had done to him. Not after what it had done to her. "It's impossible."

Suit yourself. Sounds like a personal problem to me.

Kaylie rolled her eyes and didn't bother gracing him with a reply this time. Instead she turned over and went back to staring out the window. Somewhere out there a duel over two souls was going on, and though she already knew the outcome, she kept wondering if it might change due to her presence. However, she didn't have to wonder much longer because a few minutes later, the night sky lit up as a green pillar of light shot into the heavens. She sat up quickly, just in time to catch two pinpricks of light flying across the city. She smiled, relieved that so far, the story was going the way it was supposed to, and Weevil and Rex had been released. Satisfied for the moment, she was able to find peace enough to sleep for the first time in weeks.

* * *

A loud buzzing noise broke through the heavy cloud of sleep. Kaylie groaned and grabbed her phone, hitting the off button. She then went to roll off the bed when a sharp pain stopped her. She opened her eyes and for a few seconds and fell into a panic because she didn't recognize where she was. After a couple seconds of disjointed thoughts, she finally remembered what had happened. She couldn't ignore it anymore. This was definitely not a dream. She looked at another text message on her phone.

Do you always wake up this confused?

The girl grit her teeth. Maybe letting Zac know what was going hadn't been the best idea in the world, "How long have you been watching me? That's really creepy."

All night for you, all day for me. Not the whole time though.

Kaylie frowned and looked at the clock. 8 am. "What time is it there?"

8 in the evening.

A twelve hour difference. She wasn't sure which was worse. Having him watch her while she was asleep because he was awake, or having him watch her while she was actually doing things all day because he decided to stay up. Hopefully he didn't lose too much sleep over this. The thought of a little privacy was strangely comforting. "Don't stay up too late," She mumbled and slowly eased her way out of bed. She looked around and saw a change of clothing lying on a chair. Unfortunately, they were not hers and she suddenly realized she had not been the one to change herself into the nightgown. She blushed a scarlet red, and her phone vibrated in her hand.

Don't worry about it. Kaiba told the doctor to change your clothes when they first brought you here. It's not like you're constantly on the screen.

"Well that's comforting..." She ran her hands across the fabric, picked the clothes up, and went into the bathroom, praying if Zac saw anything he'd have the decency to look away. After she finished taking a shower and had changed, she found breakfast waiting for her. She took one last look at herself in the mirror. She had been provided with a blue sundress that went to her knees, but unlike her usual clothes, it had straps instead of sleeves. Her bare shoulders made her feel more exposed. She was trying to figure out a way to cover them when her phone went off.

Don't worry. It looks fine. No one is going to freak because it's a little immodest for what you're used to. By the way, when you're doing things in private, I get to see what everyone else is up to. Yugi and his friends just went and interrogated Rex and Weevil.

"Thanks… and that's… Interesting." Kaylie shoved the phone into a blue bag they had also left her with, "But you really don't need to text me every few minutes. I just need to figure out how you're supposed to help me out..."

Suit yourself. But I'm watching to make sure you actually eat something before I go to bed. I know you...

Kaylie shook her head and started picking at the food. She wasn't feeling all that hungry, and she didn't want to eat it. Besides, what was Zac going to do? Get himself sucked into a TV and force feed her. That didn't seem too likely. She left most of it there.

It wasn't long before someone came to her room to fetch her, and brought her into a rather night sitting room where she found Mokuba waiting. "Seto had some important business, so I'm supposed to make sure you get on your plane to San Francisco."

"What time does it leave?" Kaylie sat down on a chair, wondering if going to America was such a good idea.

"Later this afternoon," Mokuba looked down at his hands. "I wish I could spend more time with you, but Seto really needs my help right now, so I'm only here to say goodbye and make sure Roland knows where you are when the time comes to take you to the airport."

"Oh..." The girl sighed. "I suppose I'd better say goodbye then."

"Seto also wanted you to have this..." Mokuba held out a package. "We noticed that you had a deck of duel monster cards, but no duel disk. I know you said you didn't need anything, but my brother thinks you're not as well off as you want us to think."

Kaylie blushed bright red and took the package. "Thank you." It was a nice gesture, but even if she did manage to take it home with her, it wouldn't work without the Kaiba Corp satellite to connect to.

"Well... Thanks again for saving me, and have a nice flight," Mokuba left the room quickly, leaving a very awkward silence behind. Kaylie looked around to make sure no one was there, then started talking into the air again.

"How am I supposed to get home if they're flying me to America?" She waited for her phone to go off again.

Have you forgotten?

Kaylie looked confused, then after a bit, "Care to elaborate genius?"

Most of the season takes place in America. Remember? :)

Kaylie blinked, suddenly realizing that was right. "Oh and like you remembered off the top of your head. You've just been doing some research haven't you?"

Hey, at least I can help you out now. Once you get to San Francisco, you just need to find Industrial Illusions headquarters. Yugi and co should be heading there real soon as well. Right now they're probably heading for that museum.

She had to admit, Zac's train of thought was a little better than her own. Perhaps if she could somehow hook up with Yugi's group, they could help her. They definitely believed in other worlds, and they wouldn't lock her up in a mental hospital if she told them the truth. "Fine. You're right. Going to America would probably get me closer to home than staying in Japan. Are you satisfied?"

Very. :)

Kaylie rolled her eyes and wandered out of the room, heading in the direction of where she felt the front door should be. After a few minutes of getting turned around, she finally found herself outside, and a limo waiting. A man opened the door for her and she got in.

"Where to miss?" The driver asked. "You still have a few hours before you need to go to the airport, and Mr. Mokuba suggested we let you see a little of Japan before you leave."

"Is there a museum nearby?" She may miss Yugi and his group, but at least she can say she looked at the stone tablet that was there. Not that anyone other than Zac would believe her, but maybe he'd be just a tad bit jealous.

"There are a few actually," The driver turned around to look at her. "Which one would you like?"

"Is there one with Egyptian artifacts in it?" She gave her best smile, trying to look like the innocent girl everyone thought she was.

"Sure, but that sounds pretty boring for a kid your age..." The driver started to drive away.

"I'm eighteen..." Kaylie growled under her breath.

Hahahahahahahaha! :)

"You shut up and go to bed. It's almost midnight there." She hissed softly, then turned to look out the window. When they arrived, she thanked the driver and got out of the limo. Carefully she made her way into the museum, her eyes trained for the characters she knew would help her out. Finally she spotted them. She was about to walk over when she stopped. What if her going over there ruined the storyline? She suddenly became very interested in an Egyptian vase nearby. Perhaps this hadn't been the best idea, but she arrived just in time to hear Professor Hawkins announce that Yugi had something to do with the duel monsters appearing around town.


	3. Legend of the Dragons

Zac checked in on Kaylie occasionally as she slept. He smiled to himself when she was sound asleep each time he looked. Kaylie was a regular insomniac, and never got much sleep. At least, she had been while they were friends. He'd always felt like he'd contributed to that lack of sleep before. After though, he didn't know. Maybe it was no better. He felt a slight ache in his chest, but pushed it away quickly, shutting the TV off.

Usually he'd turn the TV off when he wasn't around so no one else could see what was going on. No one would believe it, and he didn't want his parents to think he was crazy. For all he knew, he WAS crazy.

When Kaylie finally woke up and got to the museum, Zac was having his own problem with insomnia. How could he sleep when a very interesting story was unfolding, and it was one only he knew about? Suddenly he felt very protective over the girl trapped in the TV. He was her only hope, and this time, he wouldn't let her down. Sleep was out of the question, even after Kaylie told him to go to bed. No. He would stay here and help out in any way he could. Maybe he could make up for his past mistakes.

* * *

Kaylie tuned her ears in on the conversation taking place around her, still staring at the vase like she was studying it. Though she'd heard the conversation before, it had been so long ago, she'd forgotten most of it. She needed to know everything she could if she was going to get home.

Professor Hawkins continued, "Seeing these carvings confirms what I've suspected all along Yugi. You share a common bond with a 5,000 year old pharaoh. Do you know what this means?

"Yeah, that my life's more confusing than most kids," Yugi looked down, obviously stressed.

The professor gave him a sympathetic look, "Perhaps I can shed more light on the subject. I've spent the latter part of my career studying duel monsters. It started as more than a game. Egyptian sorcerers discovered a way to seal real monsters away within stone tablets. They would periodically release these great monsters to display their great power. As more monsters were collected, the sorcerers' powers grew stronger. Until eventually the shadow magic spun out of control and threatened to destroy all life on earth. But one man was able to face this madness and turn the darkness to light. The great pharaoh whose power you carry around your neck."

Yugi frowned, "How does that explain what's happening now? Did these ancient monsters come back or something?"

The professor nodded, "I'm afraid so. But there's another piece to this story you need to know. Ever heard of the lost city of Atlantis?"

_Who hasn't?_ Kaylie wondered.

"I read a great book about it once," Tea chimed in.

Joey and Tristan's jaws both dropped, as they exclaimed at the same time, "What! You nerd!"

_And without any rehearsal. Impressive._ Kaylie allowed her eyes to slide over to glance at the group.

The professor chuckled, "In my latest expedition, I may have discovered that very city. An underwater world that existed long before Ancient Egypt. But what really puzzled me, were the carvings I saw on the walls. Take a look." He handed some photos to Yugi, and Kaylie strained to see, with no success.

"No way!" Yugi exclaimed. "Duel Monsters!"

"Precisely!" Professor Hawkins started to get excited. "So these monsters didn't originate 5,000 years ago in Egypt. They lived over 10,000 years ago in what I believe to be the legendary city of Atlantis."

"Atlantis was real?" Tea asked in disbelief.

Yugi's grandfather stared at the professor in wonder, "Do you know what this means? Your discovery could completely rewrite history!"

_In my world, people would be freaking out a whole lot more than this... But I guess I'm in a world now where ancient pharaohs inhabit young boys' bodies and souls can be stolen in a card game, so I suppose they'd be more inclined to believe it._ Kaylie quickly looked back at the vase as Yugi turned to stare at her.

Hawkins nodded and continued, "There's still quite a bit I don't know."

Yugi looked away from Kaylie, muttered something to Tea, then looked back at the pictures, "Look at this! Looks like the monsters are attacking the city!"

"If you look at the picture more closely, you'll notice that only some of the monsters are destroying the city," Rebecca's grandfather sounded rather proud of himself for seeing this little detail.

"Hey you're right." Yugi stared at the pictures. "So if only some of these monsters seem to be evil, does that mean that the other monsters are good?"

At that moment, Tea whispered something to the group, and their talking level lowered drastically. Kaylie strained to hear what they were saying, cursing herself for being careless.

"I haven't collected enough evidence to confirm that." The professor said softly. "But I believe there's a parallel world of monsters that exists along side our world and through out history, certain humans have been able to release these monsters. Some of them have helped mankind, others have tried to destroy it."

It was Tristan that brought the noise level back up by shouting, "Give me a break! Ya nutty professor!" This caused Rebecca to kick him and Tristan to yell out in pain. The pain! Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!"

"Good! Because that's my grandfather you're talking about! Ya got that punk? Anyone who messes with him, messes with me, so keep your comments to yourself!" Rebecca held her hand in a fist.

"Won't happen again," Tristan whimpered tearfully.

"Don't worry," The professor had an amused glint in his eyes. "I'm no stranger to ridicule. Besides, it is a bit of a far fetched theory. "

"But it's true!" Rebecca shot back.

"I believe ya professor," Joey brought the noise level back down.

"Figures," Tristan muttered.

"After all da weird stuff we've been through, I'd believe anything." Joey looked at Yugi, then Kaylie felt his eyes looking at her. She tried to look super absorbed in the writing on the vase. Unfortunately, it didn't work and Joey spoke even softer. "Like da time I fought Marik in dat shadow game. All dose monster attacks felt pretty real to me. And did you forget da times dat both Mai and Bakura got blasted into da shadow realm? Let's face it. Dere's plenty of stuff out dere dat can't be explained."

"Like how there's a pharaoh living in my puzzle," Yugi looked down at the pyramid around his neck.

Rebecca was a bit louder than the other two, "Actually, our hypothesis suggests that the supernatural phenomena you experience may actually find its roots in Atlantis."

"Whoa. Those are some pretty big words, especially coming from such a little kid," It was after Tristan spoke that Kaylie realized only some people were able to speak softly.

"A kid! I'm a college student thank you very much!" Rebecca shouted.

"College student!" Everyone but Rebecca and her grandpa were shocked.

_At least you're not a college aged student being mistaken for a little kid._ Kaylie frowned. _Because college student or not, you're still a little kid._

The professor glowed with pride, "My granddaughter is quite gifted."

"Oh grandpa," Rebecca smiled. "I'm just your average child genius. Genuis. G-E-N-I-U-S."

Joey started to talk over Rebecca, "Very impressive. But can she spell obnoxious?"

"I heard that!" Rebecca shouted.

"Now Rebecca, is that the behavior of a college student?" Professor Hawkins asked disapprovingly.

Rebecca quickly composed herself, "Sorry Gramps. Go on."

The professor once again lowered his tone, "Now the point that I'm trying to make here is this. When Egyptian sorcerers conjured these monsters 5,000 years ago, the pharaoh was there to save mankind from destruction. Now it seems that pharaoh's been reborn in you, which could mean mankind needs his help again."

Yugi sighed, "Yeah but, I wouldn't even know where to begin professor. I mean, do we try and get all these monsters to go back to their own world, or should we focus on finding out what that weird motorcycle gang is up to?"

Rebecca's grandfather let his voice reach normal level again, "Unfortunately this is where my knowledge of the situation ends."

Yugi suddenly gasped, "Wait a sec!" He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "I may have a clue. Ever see anything like this before?" He held out a glowing blue stone.

"That's awesome!" Rebecca breathed.

"What have you got there Yugi?" The professor stepped closer.

"Not sure." Yugi stared at the rock, "The guys we dueled against last night left it behind."

Professor Hawkins took the rock and stared at it for a few seconds, then he finally said, "Would you mind if I held onto this stone Yugi?"

Yugi shook his head, "No of course not professor."

The professor stole a glance towards Kaylie, who was trying to look as uninterested as possible, "I'd like to take it back to my lab. I have a feeling it may hold the answers to many of our questions." He then turned to everyone and muttered something Kaylie couldn't quite hear. This lead to another conversation, but this time, no amount of straining would allow the blond to catch any of what they were saying.

"Miss Kaylie?" Kaylie jumped as a hand landed on her shoulder, but she let out a relieved sigh when she realized it was one of Kaiba's men.

"Yes, that's me." She shot a glance Yugi's way, and saw the whole group staring.

"We were just informed that the four o'clock flight to San Francisco has been delayed."

"Oh." Kaylie looked back, "That's fine."

"There's more. Mr. Kaiba would like to have a word with you immediately. He said it was of the utmost importance that he spoke to you before you left. Please follow me." The man turned and left Kaylie to follow. She almost looked back at the group, but decided that would make her more suspicious. She walked quickly after the guard, wondering what on Earth Kaiba could want to talk to her about.

* * *

Yugi stared at the girl across the room. She'd been watching them during their whole conversation. _I don't think she finds that vase as interesting as it seems she does._

_I was just thinking the same thing._ The pharaoh could be seen by only Yugi, standing next to him.

_Do you think she's with that motorcycle gang?_ Yugi asked.

_She looks a bit young, but maybe we should watch what she's doing._ The pharaoh continued to stare at the girl.

Yugi nodded almost imperceptively, then turned to Tea and whispered, "That girl keeps looking over here. I think she's listening in. Watch her." He then turned back to the photos, and gasped as he realized the monsters in the pictures were attacking the city. The conversation continued until Tea interrupted them.

"Yugi's right. That girl is listening in. We should keep it down," Tea kept the girl in sight through the corner of her eye.

From then on the conversation would get signifigantly quieter as they talked about more serious things. As the professor sent one last glance towards the girl, Yugi noticed a man making his way towards her. He looks like one of Kaiba's men! He thought, surprised.

_You're right Yugi. But what would one of Kaiba's men want with a twelve year old girl?_ The pharaoh asked curiously.

"You don't know who you can trust. You'll have to be careful as you unravel this mystery," Professor Hawkins gave a pointed look at the blond teen standing nearby. The others quickly agreed.

"Miss Kaylie?" The man asked.

_So that's her name._ Yugi observed.

"Yes, that's me." She turned and looked at Yugi quickly, and he wondered if maybe she was just another crazy fan.

"We were just informed that the four o'clock flight to San Francisco has been delayed." Yugi wondered why this mattered to the girl. Was she traveling to San Francisco?

"Oh," The girl turned away. "That's fine."

Yugi watched as the man declared that Kaiba wanted to talk to her, and watched her the whole way as she walked out._ So he is one of Kaiba's men. What does he want with her?_

_Who knows?_ The pharaoh folded his arms. _I have the feeling we'll find out soon enough._

"The four o'clock flight to San Francisco," Yugi's grandfather turned to Professor Hawkins and Rebecca. "Isn't that your flight?"

"Yes it is," Professor Hawkins looked troubled. "I wonder why it's been delayed."

"No matter," Yugi's grandpa beamed. "You can tell us more about this expedition of yours!"

Professor Hawkins and Yugi's grandpa continued talking, with the rest of the group chiming in occasionally. Yugi looked back to where the girl had been standing. _Who was she, and why was she trying to listen in on our conversation?_

_I don't know._ The pharaoh stated. _But I think we'll run into her again, and all our questions will be answered._

* * *

Kaylie fidgeted uncomfortably as she was left alone with Kaiba in his office. He had his hands clasped together with his chin resting on them lightly, a pose the blond had seen many times on TV. He stared off into space, making Kaylie wonder if he knew she was standing there.

"Sir?" The term seemed so formal to be using, especially on someone who was probably her own age, but the man just had the feel of authority surrounding him. Also, she didn't know what else to call him. Even saying Kaiba felt too personal.

"Would you like to explain how this," He slid a duel monsters card across his desk. "Got in your deck?"

Kaylie hesitantly stepped forward and took the card, flipping it over. Her heart skipped a beat and adrenaline started pumping through her system. It was her own Blue Eyes White Dragon. Had he called the airport and have them delay her flight just for this?

"There are only four of these cards in the entire world. Three are in my deck, and the other I tore in half. All three of mine seem to still be in my possession, and this one doesn't appear to have a tear mark," He focused his icy blue eyes on Kaylie

and she shuddered. When she couldn't seem to find her tongue to speak, the CEO stood up, walked to the window, and continued as he looked out. "I was willing to believe it was a fake, but fakes don't work on my duel disk system. Either this is an extremely good copy," He turned to face her. "Or you're not telling me the truth of who you are."

Kaylie swallowed the lump in her throat and managed to stumble her way through an explanation, "It's just a very good fake sir. I bought it at a fair in America. I didn't know it could trick your duel disk system. I never had one until you gave me one..." She looked down at the box underneath her arm.

Kaiba chuckled, "You know, I almost believe that story. It's exactly what I want to hear, and very believeable. Unfortunately, I know it isn't true." Kaylie tried to mask her shock. What could he possibly know? "There has never been a card copy good enough to fool my system. Where did you really get the card?"

"A boy gave it to me..." She looked at the ground.

"Was it Yugi Muto?" Kaiba demanded.

"No!" Kaylie looked up. "I've never spoken to Yugi in my life!"

Kaiba frowned and walked back to his desk, "I don't know who you are, or if you come from where you say, but you'll be flying back to America tonight, and you better take that card with you and never show your face around here again."

The blond swallowed hard and nodded, "Yes sir." She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, but ignored it.

Kaiba pressed a button on his desk phone, "Roland!"

"Yes sir?" Came the reply.

"Please escort Miss Kaylie to the airport. We wouldn't want her to miss her plane," His cold eyes met with hers, and she looked down.

"But sir," Roland sounded puzzled. "Her flight doesn't leave for hours."

"Just do it!" Kaiba hit hang up and then went back to work, completely ignoring Kaylie. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Roland came and got her, and took her to the airport. _Well that went well,_ She thought. _I only ticked off the most powerful man in Japan._

* * *

Zac frowned when Kaylie didn't reply to his text. She didn't even look at it. He looked at the clock and stifled a yawn. Four in the morning. He'd been up most of the night, but at least it was a Saturday. He could catch up on sleep while Kaylie did. That way, he wouldn't miss anything.

Finally she opened her phone after Roland left her alone in the airport while he looked for a bathroom. She looked at the text and frowned, then looked around. "Zac I don't know if you're still awake, so I'll just text you the answer." She looked down at her phone and began tapping away. In a few minutes, Zac's phone went off and he snatched it up to look at it.

A boy in my old neighborhood gave it to me. It's not a big deal. Why do you care anyway? It was before I knew you, and you shouldn't care.

Zac winced at that smack in the face. It was true. He had told her many times that he didn't care, so why did he suddenly care now? He'd been the one to end the friendship. Now it was time to live with that consequence. Once this was over, they'd go back to their lives without each other. The red head was surprised at how much that hurt.

* * *

Kaylie sunk down in her seat, relieved to finally be on the plane after hours and hours of waiting in the airport and going through endless security. It seemed Kaiba wasn't going to use one of his private jets on the likes of her. She glanced at her duel disk box and smiled. She was going to have to try that out before she left. It would be a shame to take it somewhere it wouldn't work without using it at least once. She turned to look around when she saw a familliar face sitting a few seats behind her. It was Rebecca Hawkins! She quickly grabbed a magazine and squished down in her seat as much as she could. The last thing she needed was them thinking she was stalking them. This was going to be a long plane trip.

It was nearly midnight when the plane finally took off. Kaylie felt her eyelids growing heavy as they gained altitude. Suddenly a violent force nearly through the girl to the ground, and she was stopped only by her seatbelt. Shaken, she straightened herself out and looked out the window. Strange rainbow lights swirled around overhead, and she wracked her memory for the explanation as her phone went off.

It's Leviathan!

Kaylie frowned, trying to remember exactly what was happening. It had been too long since she'd watched the show. Then she saw the huge crystals in the sky, devouring monsters as they neared it. Even more terrifying was the fact that the plane was also getting closer to the strange rocks.

_Oh no..._ Kaylie felt her heart pounding. _Our flight was delayed because of me, and now Rebecca and the Professor are in danger! I may have just completely ruined this story!_

Fortunately, the crystals started shaking and suddenly fell from the sky before their plane reached them. Unfortunately, there was a giant eye behind the crystals, and it didn't look to pleased to see them. The slightly hysterical part of Kaylie's brain thought about the Eye of Sauron in her favorite book trilogy The Lord of the Rings, and she almost laughed. Meanwhile, around her, cries of astonishment and horror rose up. Soon, she began to panic as well, "Zac... I need to tell you something..."

What!

The eye suddenly turned and blew a huge tornado like wind at the ground. Kaylie watched fretfully as a bright light suddenly blew back the wind and into the eye. An explosion forced her to look away, and when she turned back, there was nothing. The beast had been defeated, and her plane continued on its course. She sat back with a sigh of relief as the passangers around her cheered. She was lucky. Now the story could continue normally.

* * *

Zac watched as Kaylie's plane headed straight for the eye. He felt so completely helpless. When Kaylie cried out to him, he quickly replied, knowing it was all he could do. He'd never been so relieved as he was when the beast was destroyed before anything happened to the plane, and Kaylie was safe. He quickly sent another text.

What were you going to say?

He watched her as she looked at the text, hesitated, then shook her head. "It was nothing..." She whispered softly, trying not to disturb the people around her. "Absolutely... Nothing." Then she turned her phone on silent and settled in for the trip. Zac glanced at the clock, seeing that it was one in the afternoon for him. He'd had no sleep for over twenty four hours, and it was starting to catch up on him. He went to his room where he could take a nap undisturbed from his family. As he felt sleep close around him, he couldn't help but wonder..._ What was she going to say?_


	4. The Creator Returns

(Yes, this is an extremely short chapter because we have to allow time for the rest of the characters to get to America. :D Haha! Sorry! I used this episode for character development since I have nothing else to do till they all get to San Francisco.)

* * *

Kaylie sighed and plopped down behind the garbage can in the alley way. Her stomach rumbled and she groaned, letting her forehead hit her knees. A plane ticket to America was nice, but they couldn't send me with a little bit more? It had been a long ride to San Francisco, and the poor teen had been wandering the streets on her own since she left the airport, which had been hours ago. Now she was hungry, lonely, and the sun was going down._ It's going to get cold..._ Already the girl was shivering in her flimsy sun dress. She looked through the small bag Mokuba sent with her and found the clothes she'd been in when Kaiba's men had attacked her. A note fell out as she tugged on them, so she picked it up and read it.

Kaylee,

Seto said you wouldn't need these back because there are blood stains on them, but I didn't know if you'd miss them or not. I'm still sorry for what happened! Have you tried your duel disk yet?

Mokuba

The teen sighed and shook her head, the traces of a smile crossing her face. No one ever spelled her name right. She pulled the clothes out and held them close. It was a little bit of home, and they were going to help her stay warm. She pulled the pants on underneath the dress, then pulled the shirt on over. Expertly, she slipped her arms out of the sleeves of the dress and into the ones of the shirt, allowing her to slip the dress off. She quickly slipped her shoes and socks on, kicking the sandals off and throwing them into the bag. Her phone started to buzz, so she took it out and read;

That was pro. Where'd you learn to do that?

"When you're an actress, you learn how, especially if you have to change out in the open. Girls aren't quite as lucky as guys..." Kaylie took the dress by its hem and tore. Just as she'd hoped, it was too flimsy to stand the pressure and it ripped neatly in half from bottom to top.

!

The girl then wrapped the dress around her shoulders, turning it into a homemade shawl. She smiled triumphantly and sat back down on the hard ground. "I can be resourceful when I want to be."

I know. Remember that time when you sprained your ankle and you had me tape it with painter's tape so that you could go do your part in the haunted house down the street for Halloween?

Kaylie smiled, looking at the sky, "I remember. You were a terrible ankle taper. Our Sport's Med teacher even said so when he tested us on it."

Ouch.

"But you did it well enough to help me make it through that night, and we had fun," The blond allowed herself to chuckle out loud. "You were a deranged doctor and I was your poor patient, and we had that stupid plastic arm that looked real..."

Everyone thought I'd pulled your arm off at first.

"I don't think we scared as many people as we made laugh..." Kaylie was beaming now. "We were so dorky..."

I miss that.

Kaylie felt her heart stop, then slowly, a familiar ache began spreading across her chest. She felt a tear slip down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away._ Why would he say that? After everything that happened... Why would he say that?_ Quickly she hit the power button on her phone and let it turn off, shoving it deep into her pocket. "Good night Zac..." She whispered, leaning against the trash can and looking at what she thought would be away from the "camera."

* * *

Zac felt his heart flutter in his chest when Kaylie smiled as she talked about them working at the haunted house only eight months before. It had been five months since he'd seen a smile like that. One that wasn't half hearted or fake. She laughed about them being dorks, and he laughed too. Before he knew what he was doing, he tapped out the text and hit send.

I miss that.

The hurt look on her face was enough for the red head to know he'd said the wrong thing. As a single tear fell down her cheek, he felt one start to roll down his._ I'm so sorry Kaylie._ He let his tears flow long after she'd wiped her solitary tear away._ I shouldn't have opened old wounds like that. It's not your fault we aren't friends anymore. That was my choice, not yours._

The boy turned the TV off after Kaylie turned her phone off. He'd done enough damage for one day. Instead of helping, he'd only made things worse. Kaylie had more important things to worry about than their broken friendship.


	5. Deja Duel Part 1

(Dear Readers, I promise you will find out what happened between Zac and Kaylie. However, you will have to be patient. It's slowly unraveling, and maybe you can figure out what happened before they outright say it. It's a very complicated situation, and I don't want to rush through it. :) Please stay patient and just enjoy what you do get. Thank you for reading! Enjoy!)

* * *

Kaylie woke, her whole body stiff from her night on the street. She reached for her phone to see if Zac had dropped off his usual morning text, but quickly remembered she'd turned it off. She shoved it back in her pocket, pushing away the rapidly forming tears. She picked up her bag and duel disk box, _then stopped. I need to find out where Industrial Illusions is... But surely that can wait just a little bit longer..._ She set the bag down and opened the duel disk box for the first time._ I can't go home without trying this._ As she pulled the disk out, something fell from the box. She stopped, put the duel disk back, and looked down. It was a huge wad of money. Quickly, the teen picked it up, along with another note from Mokuba.

Kaylee,

Seto says you'll be fine once you're in America, but I wanted to be sure. Seto okayed it too, so don't worry. Here's some money to help you get home and maybe some extra to help you once you get there. Consider it a reward for saving me.

Mokuba

Kaylie frowned. _I don't think Kaiba would have okayed this if I had recieved the duel disk after our last conversation. He seemed pretty peeved._ She flipped through the bills, counting $1,500 in American money. _How considerate. I'm so glad I stayed a night on the street to find I had money for a hotel in the morning._ Still, she supposed it was better to find it now rather than later.

A sharp pain shot through her stomach, and she was reminded that she hadn't been lucky enough to have her meds in her pocket when she was transported here. She pressed her hand against her abdomen, the pressure alleviating some of the pain. Suddenly she wasn't as hungry as she had been before. Once the pain started, eating only made it worse. Having forgotten all about using the duel disk, the teen decided that she would continue walking, and if she happened upon a restaurant, she would eat no matter how much her stomach hurt. With that, she picked her stuff up and headed off.

* * *

Zac frowned. _I thought she'd taken care of that. She started going to the doctor a few weeks after I... After the incident. I thought if I wasn't her friend she'd start taking care of herself instead of me._ The teen boy mentally kicked himself for causing her to turn her phone off.

As she walked, Zac went to his room and picked out a green binder. He flipped it open to the cursive handwriting that titled the pages Zac's Memory Book. Kaylie had given it to him on his seventeenth birthday, filled with letters from his friends and family. He continued turning pages until he reached the last letter. No name graced the end of the words, but he knew it belonged to Kaylie. Her writing style was very unique and he always knew. As he read her apology for freaking out when he broke his promise, he felt gulit crash down on his head. _I broke my promise. I never apologized, and she did. She apologized for... being human. I never realized how wrong I was until now._

He turned the last page and pulled three more letters out. One from when they were in Les Miserables together, one from Cheaper by the Dozen, and one from Into the Woods. Each telling him how proud she was of him for his hard work and dedication. _I had a good teacher..._ He held the letters close. _When I first saw you act, I wanted to be just like you. You put your heart and soul into the part even when it was small. In Les Mis, your character had a story from beginning to end, and you became her when you were on stage. Even if she was a prostitute beggar. You were her._ He quietly folded the letters back up and put them away. _And when I needed help, you were there. You looked up all Marius' character information for me. You helped memorize the rest of my lines only a week before we performed in Cheaper by the Dozen, even though you were the lead, and I was only the brother._ A lump formed in his throat when he thought of Into the Woods. _After I pushed you away you still looked after me... Telling me what a great job I was doing and how proud you were._ The red head looked at the ceiling. _And it wasn't just me. You would write one for everyone in the cast, including my sisters. I was so mad at you, I tore Jessi's up. I regret that so much now._

Zac was torn away from his book when he heard yells coming from the TV. He quickly dropped the binder and ran to the family room. Kaylie was calling after a truck, looking very shaken.

* * *

Kaylie jumped to the side just in time. If it hadn't been so loud, she never would have heard the truck and the driver probably would have hit her and not cared. She yelled after the driver, mostly to get rid of the adrenaline coursing through her system. She was just about to walk away when she saw a bag drop out of the back. She stood frozen for a few seconds when two very familliar people popped out. _Oh no!_ She looked around, then ducked behind a trash can right as the talking started.

"Look what just dropped in," A street thug grinned evilly at the two duelists on the road.

Weevil picked himself up quickly, "Hey, we don't want to be trouble."

Another street thug pounded his hand in his fist, "You really should have thought of that before you decided to land on our street."

Weevil turned to Rex, his eyes full of fear, "Any ideas?"

Rex nodded, "Here's one..." He took a deep breath, and screamed, "Help!"

Kaylie hesitated as she saw the gang surround the poor boys. She wished she could do something, but she wasn't very strong. In fact, she could hardly lift anything heavy let alone fight off an entire gang. Besides, intervening might screw up the storyline.

"I don't think anyone can hear us..." Weevil backed up against a wall, Rex following.

"We're dead," Rex gulped.

The desperation in their eyes made the blond teen snap. She couldn't stand by and watch this. She had an idea. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the money she'd been given. She took $100 and left the rest with her bag, hidden behind the trash can. _Please work._ She prayed, running over to the gang. "Wait! Leave them alone!"

"Huh!" Rex and Weevil both looked up.

"Who's going to make us?" The wicked grin on one of the thug's face made Kaylie sick. "A pretty girl like you?"

He took a step closer and the girl standing next to him stuck her nose in the air. "Hmph. She's not even that pretty. What are you like twelve kid?"

Kaylie rolled her eyes, "I don't want trouble either." She held out the money, "I just want you to leave the three of us alone."

The thug took the bill and grinned, "That's a pretty weighty sum for a girl like you to be carrying around." He turned back to his gang, "Who wants to bet this miss is holding out on us?" The members nodded and soon Kaylie found herself pushed against the wall with Weevil and Rex.

"Nice going!" Rex growled. "Now they're going to steal our money too!"

"I was trying to help!" Kaylie shot back. She was once again aware of her stomach, but also the burning in her chest. Her panicked breathing was causing her broken ribs to hurt, and she knew she was in for another beating.

It wasn't so bad in the end. The gang started with Weevil and Rex, pushing them around and jumping on them. Kaylie was held by another one of the members who kept looking at her with this creepy glint in his eyes. Once they'd finished pushing the two duelists around, they fixed their attention on the blond girl in front of them. "Search her for any money, then we can have fun." The gang leader's voice sent chills up Kaylie's spine.

When they couldn't find any money, the boys in the group began pushing her around while the girl looked away, obviously irritated. _That's what you get for hanging with this crowd._ Kaylie closed her eyes, hoping it would be over soon. Distantly, she heard sirens. The pushing stopped and suddenly the gang members were scrambling around to get away, pushing and shoving each other. In a few seconds, the street was clear except for the two duelists on the road. Kaylie sighed, relieved. The burning in her chest began to go away.

Weevil and Rex picked themselves up, dusted off, and glared at the girl. "Nice going!"

"I could have just watched them beat you up!" Kaylie snapped. "It's not like they didn't push me around too!"

Weevil stuck his nose in the air and turned away, "C'mon Rex. We've got places to be."

"That's right!" Rex followed suit.

"Wait!" Kaylie grabbed her bag and duel disk, running after them.

"Oh no! You're not coming with us!" Weevil pushed her away, causing her to grimace in pain.

Rex's tough face fell for a second, "We're very busy right now."

Kaylie ran in front of them, "I'll just follow you!" She had to. These two were her ticket to meeting up with Yugi and his friends.

"No you won't!" Weevil was practically throwing a tantrum. "We can't have a twelve year old kid tagging along with us!"

Kaylie had to suppress the urge to scream, "I'm eighteen thank you very much. I can drive a car, and you probably don't even know the difference between the brake and the gas pedal."

"An elite duelist doesn't have time to learn how to drive!" Weevil shot back.

"Well then show me what an elite duelist does know how to do!" Kaylie dropped her bag on the ground. "If you win, I'll leave you alone and stay here. If I win, you have to let me come with you. Deal?"

"I don't know..." Rex looked at Weevil, worried.

"I've never used a duel disk," Kaylie grinned. "And I haven't dueled in six years. If you back down from this, everyone will know that you're a coward who was too scared to duel a beginner like me."

Weevil's face turned red, "No one insults me like that and gets away with it! Prepare to lose!" The bug duelist quickly activated his duel disk.

Kaylie pulled her own duel disk out of the box. _I don't know what I'm doing... But if I don't win this duel, I don't think I'll ever get home!_


	6. Deja Duel Part 2

(Blah! I'm so sorry, but I hate writing duels out, and frankly, I suck at it. If I broke any rules or did something stupid, please don't hurt me. After this things will finally start to get much more interesting, I promise!)

* * *

Zac watched Kaylie challenge Weevil, wondering what on earth she was thinking. She wouldn't be able to beat someone who'd been trained to duel. Especially when their whole world revolved around it, while the one she came from thought it was simply a children's card game. He shook his head, frustrated that he couldn't do anything.

Footsteps sounded coming down the stairs, and the red head quickly flipped the television off. His mom came around the corner and shook her head, "You need to go out."

"What? Why?" Zac gripped the remote tight.

"You've done nothing but sit down here and watch TV for days! Not to mention you won't let anyone else down here. You need to interact with people. Now hand it over," His mom reached her hand out for the remote, and Zac shook his head. "Now!"

The teenage boy relinquished the remote and walked to the stairs. His mom waited for him to walk away from the TV. _I'm sorry Kaylie. Please don't do anything more stupid while I'm gone._

* * *

After a lot of fumbling, Kaylie finally got her duel disk operational and ready. Weevil impatiently called her all sorts of names, but she didn't really hear them or care. All that mattered was winning this duel so she could go home. She drew her five cards and stared at them. _I always thought the concept of the Heart of the Cards was cheesy, but if there is a such thing in this world, please help me!_

"I'll start things off by summoning my Neo Bug in attack mode, then I'll place one card face down and end my turn," Weevil grinned, the sun glinting off his glasses. "Hope you aren't afraid of bugs!"

"Hardly," Kaylie gave her sweetest smile as she drew her card, "I used to smash them with my thumb when I was little." Weevil's smile dropped for a second. "Now, I'll play my Mataza the Zapper in attack mode. I'm going to boost his power by 300 points by giving him the Phoenix Blade." Weevil growled. "That's not all. I'll activate my Malevolent Nuzzler, giving him another 700 point boost, then I'll place one card down and end my turn." _Hopefully that keeps him busy for now._

"Her monster has 2300 attack points now!" Rex's comment caused Weevil to turn around and glare at him.

"I can see that peabrain!" Weevil drew his card and faced Kaylie. "Your warrior is no match for my bugs. I'll prove that to you. First I'll switch my Neo Bug into defense mode, and then I'll play my Arsenal Bug in defense mode. That'll end my turn."

The blond drew her card. "I'll start by summoning my Command Knight to the field. This increases all warrior type monster's attack points by 400, so my Mataza now has 2700 attack points while my Command Knight has 1600." Kaylie bit her lip. _If I attack, I'll bet you anything he'll activate that trap and it will end up stopping all my attacks. I don't remember how he did it, but I do remember Yugi not being able to attack him. What choice do I have though?_ "First my Mataza will attack your Neo Bug," The blond teen tried to not be distracted by the technology she was holding, and concentrate on the duel. "That lowers your Arsenal Bug's defense points to 1000, making him the perfect target for my Command Knight." The wind blew her short hair slightly as the warrior monster destroyed the bug. "That leaves your life points wide open for an attack."

Weevil laughed, "But you've attacked with all your monsters, so you can't!"

"But you're forgetting my Mataza's special ability," Kaylie smiled.

"Huh?" Weevil frowned.

"His ability allows him to attack twice in one turn," The blond nodded at her monster. "So your life points aren't as safe as you thought." The monster attacked, lowering the bug duelist's life points to 1300. "I'll place one card face down, then I'll end my turn." _Why didn't he activate that card? Is it not what I thought it was?_

Weevil smiled as he drew his card, then started laughing. "This duel is mine for the winning! First I'll play my Cockroach Knight in attack mode, then I'll activate my DNA surgery trap card, allowing me to change all the monsters on the field into the type I want, and I choose Insect! That lowers your Command Knights attack points back to 1200, and your Mataza back to 2000, since he isn't able to use his sword anymore!" Weevil smirked. "That's not all. I'll activate my spell card, Insect Barrier, keeping all bug type monsters from attacking me. Thanks to my trap card, all your monsters are now insects!" The duelist kept laughing.

"It's too bad your strategy won't work," Kaylie's heart was pounding. "Activate trap card Magic Jammer! By discarding one card from my hand," The teen pulled a card and sent it to the graveyard. "I can stop you from activating a spell card, so your Insect Barrier is destroyed." As the hologram shattered, Weevil squirmed, unsure of how to get out of the sticky situation. "Are you going to end your turn now?"

Weevil growled, "You lied! You aren't a beginner at all are you?"

"I didn't lie," Kaylie drew her last card. It was her Mystical Elf card. She found herself smiling. Perhaps someone was looking out for her. "First, I'll have my Command Knight destroy your Cockroach Knight." The hit blew away 400 of Weevil's life points, putting him at 900. "Then I'll have my Mataza attack directly, ending the duel." Once Weevil's life points hit zero, Kaylie put her cards away quickly, afraid they'd try to sneak off without her. "I won. You have to let me tag along now."

Rex muttered under his breath, "You went easy on her didn't you?"

Weevil glared at Rex, "Do you think I want her tagging along with us? Especially when we have important things to do, like find Yugi and his friends?"

Kaylie smiled as the two duelists argued back and forth, but deep down she wondered the same thing as Rex. The duel had been way too short. Had Weevil gone easy on her?


	7. An Unexpected Enemy

Zac stared at the police man with wide eyes. He seemed to be fumbling with the words he was trying to say. The red head had long since tuned him out. In fact, he was staring at the half eaten sandwich he had made when his mom forced him to leave the TV.

"Son?" The police officer looked at him, concern in his eyes. "Are you alright?"

Zac looked up at the police officer, "I'm sorry. I don't understand why you're here to talk to me. You keep saying Kaylie over and over, but you haven't explained anything."

The police officer sighed, "We were going through her stuff and we found some things. Some things that had to do with you, and a..." The police man cleared his throat. "A suicide note."

Zac's heart stopped. Suicide? No! That just wasn't possible! He and Kaylie had talked about suicide many times. They both thought it was stupidly selfish. She wouldn't do that. She'd told him she couldn't after she'd seen first hand what it could do to someone. She'd had a friend commit suicide when she was ten!

"The note had uh," The officer pulled it out. "A lot of it was written to you specifically. We found it on her computer." He handed it to Zac. "Now don't blame yourself for what happened son. We just need to know if you have any idea where she would have gone to do it so we can recover the body."

Zac numbly took the letter and opened it. The police officer watched as he read it.

_Dear family and friends,_

_If you're reading this, I guess that means I snapped. I'm sorry. It was too much. Too much pressure. Too much heartache. Too much guilt and blame. But I suppose it's probably a good thing I'm gone because it means I can't hurt you anymore._

_Mom and Dad, I'm sorry I couldn't be the picture perfect daughter you wanted. I couldn't do all the things you wanted me to. Not when I'm so flawed. I don't think you know how much I hurt the people around me. How much I hurt you guys because I can't seem to get over the one person who ever made me feel truly happy... So I just went away. I love you Mommy and Daddy. Please forgive me._

_Everyone, please forgive me. Especially you Zac..._

Zac's heart stopped. Reading his name, and the reference that came before it, he wasn't sure he wanted to continue. The police officer was still watching though, so he read on.

_I know I made myself out to be so emotionally strong, but I guess the truth is I'm not. When you take and take and take from someone and never give back, you can't expect them to stay strong._

Zac swallowed the lump in his throat.

_I guess after you told me you didn't love me anymore, it took who I was from me, because that's who I was... Your best friend. Your other half. The person who completed you. But then you took that, and I didn't know who I was. I didn't want to be friends. In all honesty, it should have ended right there. Maybe if I'd had enough courage, I wouldn't be gone. Instead, I listened to your mom. She told me she was friends with her first lover still, so I thought maybe if I was unselfish, I could be friends too._

_Those three months of trying were the worst and best three months of my life. It was hard giving everything I had to someone who would never return the same... But I still had you. I was still your friend. I still had a bit of identity left._

_Once that was gone, I had nothing. There's no point in living for nothing. I'm not blaming you Zac. It's not your fault I'm not strong. It's not your fault I can't handle reality. In fact, it's for your benefit. You said that I was making your life impossible. That I was unmanageable. Your mom told me I was stressing you out beyond belief, and it wasn't fair that I was putting so much pressure on you. I'm sorry. I never meant to put so much pressure on you. I was just trying to do what you wanted me to. I thought you wanted to be friends, so I was trying to be your friend. I guess it made you feel bad or something. I don't know. All I know is your parents told me I was screwing up your life so I'm leaving it. Now that you're free of me, you can find another girl who will treat you better and be able to give you what you want..._

Zac tried to read through the tears that were now pouring down his face. He forced himself to keep reading.

_In all honesty though, this is just as much for me as it is for you. I can't do it Zac. I can't watch you change and become a different person. Every day is just another disappointment and frustration to me. I can't handle that. It's so selfish, but I can't watch you love someone who isn't worthy of your love._

_She told me she's using you. I wanted to tell you so bad after she told me, but I was scared. Too scared. You were already mad. I couldn't handle to have you yell at me again. I'm so selfish Zac. I'm killing myself because I can't get over you, and it's messing you up. If I could just move on... Quit thinking of myself and think of you... But I can't Zac. I can't because I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life... And it's not something I can forget._

_I'm glad you can though. I guess you already have. So maybe this won't even hurt you. Maybe you're in your room rolling your eyes like you always do at my theatrics. Just promise me that while you're in Heaven, you'll come visit me in Hell. But I guess if that would make things better they wouldn't let you, would they._

_You're a great person Zac. I'll miss you so much, even if you won't miss me. Tell everyone I'm so sorry for messing all their lives up... I'm sorry for being a disappointment... And I'm sorry I was born. It's a mistake I'm fixing. Goodbye Zac. I love you._

_Love, forever and always,_

_Kaylie_

Zac handed the paper back to the officer, "She used to have a special place... Whenever she was confused or lost, she'd go there. She never showed anyone else where it was... Until she showed me." He stood up, shaking. "It's at a park down by her house. I'll take you there."

As Zac pulled his shoes on, his mind was spinning. Kaylie wasn't gone because some freak magical thing happened. She was gone because she was dead.

* * *

"Could this day get any worse? I've been stuffed in a smelly gym bag, dumped off in the worst part of town, used as a trampoline by a bunch of street punks, and then you lost a duel to some chick who is now following us around like a lost puppy!" Rex moaned as the three teens walked along the streets of San Francisco.

"Think of it this way," Weevil interrupted. "Things can't get any worse!"

At that moment, a man came running out of no where, bumping into the bug duelist. Kaylie, who had been walking behind them, was able to jump out of the way just in time.

"What just happened?" Rex frowned, turning to watch the guy run off.

Weevil grunted, then reached a hand into his pocket. His face lost all color. "My wallet!"

"Our money!" Rex and Weevil both turned and pushed passed Kaylie, chasing after the guy. Kaylie turned to call after them, but she stopped. She had to interfere as little as possible. She ran after them.

"Get back here!" Weevil called.

"Like he's going to listen to you!" Rex scoffed.

Suddenly, the man stopped, dropped the wallet, and ran off. At least, that's what it looked like from where Kaylie was standing.

"See? He did listen!" Weevil smiled smugly, the three continued to run forward, where they were met by another person, picking the wallet up.

"Here. I think this belongs to you." Kaylie smiled as Duke Devlin handed the wallet back to Weevil. Bingo.

"Thank you!" Weevil quickly tucked the wallet back in his pocket.

"You have to watch yourself on these streets," Duke smiled at Kaylie. "They aren't very friendly."

"We noticed," Kaylie looked away.

"Well, can I give you a ride somewhere? Walking isn't very safe." Duke looked back at the other two duelists.

"Actually," Rex was ready to accept. "We were heading for Industrial Illusions headquarters."

Kaylie nodded, "We're looking for someone."

Rex and Weevil both looked at her, confused. "Huh?"

"Well I'm not sure who you think you'll find there, other than Pegasus, and not many people want to go see him," Duke gave Kaylie a skeptical look.

"We're looking for Yugi," The blond stated firmly. Rex and Weevil both stared at her for a minute, then nodded.

"Yugi? Yugi is here in America?" Duke asked in disbelief.

Kaylie nodded again, "So, will you take us?"

"Of course! This way!" Duke lead them through the alley street to his car. Kaylie hopped in the front seat, leaving Weevil and Rex to sit in the back.

"Are you sure they're at Industrial Illusions?" Duke started the car.

Kaylie nodded, "Positive."

"Alright, hold on!" Duke pealed off down the street, reminding Kaylie of how her dad used to drive. Her heart felt heavy when she realized how much she missed him.

* * *

Zac lead the police officer through the trees, and to a small spring that bubbled out of the ground. He sat on a log at the edge of the water, "This is where she always went when she had a big decision to make."

"There's nothing here," The officer frowned.

Zac stared into the water, hiding a smile. Maybe she was still alive. "No, there's not. She liked it that way."

The officer sighed, "Thank you for trying to help us. We'll let you know if we find anything." As they walked back to the car in silence, Zac stared at his phone. Had she turned hers back on yet?

They drove back to Zac's house in silence. When the officer let him out, Zac immediately started to head for the TV. "Wait!" Zac stopped when the officer called out to him. He turned and found a box being placed in his arms. "We found this in her room as well. It has your name on it, so her parents told me to bring it here." The officer turned back to his car. "Call me if you need to talk. This isn't an easy thing to deal with."

As the cop drove away, Zac looked down at the box. It was labeled Zac's Box. He took it inside and set it down beside the couch, turning the TV on. Kaylie was on the screen, driving in a car with Weevil, Rex, and Duke. Zac smiled. _She must have won the duel._ The red head opened the box, still paying attention to the screen. Rex and Weevil were talking to Duke about how they were great friends with Yugi, and Kaylie was watching things pass by. Zac figured he should go through the box while he watched. When he looked down, he was unable to suppress his gasp of surprise. _No way..._


	8. Note to Readers

Dear Readers,

No, I have not forgotten you. I've had work almost every day for the past two weeks and no sign of it slowing down. I promise I won't leave you hanging. I will type up the next chapter as soon as I have time. Keep hanging in there!

-Destiny


	9. My Freaky Valentine Part 1

(Finally! After weeks and weeks of working almost non stop, I had time to write out a quick chapter. I didn't have a lot to go on from the episode, so forgive the shortness. Anywho, I'll be starting college in a week, so I'm not sure how often I'll be updating this story. I'll try though! I have to be up at 4am every day for work, so it's been a little crazy. Thank you for your patience! I'll get as much done before school starts as I can. Enjoy!)

* * *

Kaylie watched the scenery zoom by as she sat in the car with the three duelists. She was painfully aware of the silent cell phone in her pocket, but she wasn't ready to turn it back on. Not yet. The fact that Zac said that he missed being her friend when he was the one who hurt her so much... It wasn't something she was ready to tackle yet.

Rex and Weevil continued to chatter with each other in the background. They kept their voices low so that Duke and Kaylie couldn't hear them, but the teen had no doubt that they were scheming something up.

It wasn't long before they came upon the exploded gas station. Kaylie bit her lip, reminding herself not to speak and let the events play out how they should. In fact, she wasn't even sure she remembered why the station had blown up, but something was tugging at the back of her mind, so she remained silent.

"This is a bad sign guys," Duke looked at the station, his eyes full of worry.

"Whoa!" Rex stood up. "What do you think happened here?"

Weevil rolled his eyes and came back with a sharp retort, "A gas station exploded you brainiac!" Duke let hid eyes wander over the wreckage, then suddenly he hit the gas, causing the bug duelist to fall over. "If I have whiplash you're going to hear from my lawyers!" Kaylie grabbed the side of the car as they sped up down the rode.

"Listen, I've got a hunch guys!" Duke pushed harder on the gas. "Hold on!"

"I'm gonna be sick..." Rex complained, looking at Weevil.

"Lean over the side!" Weevil shoved Rex away, and Kaylie looked back ahead, smiling slightly. This world was pretty strange, but sometimes, it was nice to see that in its own weird way, it was normal too.

* * *

Zac pulled out the various notebooks and pieces of paper that lay in the box. Underneath them was everything, literally everything, he'd ever given to Kaylie. From the wooden penguin he gave her for Christmas, to the little rock bottle he'd bought her while she as in Colorado, and he was in Oregon over their fall break. The notebooks contained all their conversations they'd had during class, passing the notebooks back and forth so they wouldn't get in trouble for talking. Various letters he'd sent her while she was gone for weeks, and even some letters she'd written him, but never bothered to send. The words poured over him like a cold rain, and his heart didn't stop pounding the whole time. So many feelings. So many things she never told him.

Suddenly, he realized why she would have written that suicide note in the first place.

He would have done the same.

As Kaylie drove with the duelists, Zac took the time to read everything the pages in her box contained. One letter in particular was full of cuss words and cutting things that the red head hadn't even known she was capable of saying. Kaylie never cussed, she never flipped anyone off, and if you did it in front of her, you'd be rewarded with a smack to the head and a very severe scolding. But here she was, cussing in a letter like it was normal. Zac put the paper down. He felt like he was intruding on something extremely personal, and if Kaylie wasn't dead, would she be okay with him reading it? Again, he mentally kicked himself for causing her to turn her phone off. If only he had another way to get a hold of her and say sorry...

Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. The teenage boy continued to read under the circumstances that something in those letters might help him get his once best friend back. He'd just finished putting everything back when his younger sister Jessi walked in, her eyes red.

"Zac..." She whimpered. "Is she really gone?" Zac froze for a second, then quickly he fumbled with the remote and turned the TV off. He stared at his sister. "You're watching TV... After you just found out Kaylie is dead!? What is wrong with you?" The younger teenager burst into tears.

"She's not dead for sure Jessi," Zac frowned. "They haven't found her body."

"And they may never find her body Zac!" Jessi sank to the floor. "I feel so terrible... The police man told me about the suicide note and..." The girl looked up at her brother. "It's all my fault!"

Zac immediately went to his sister's side, "It's not your fault! What makes you think that?"

Jessi sniffled, then looked at her brother. "I lied to you..."

"What?"

The brunette looked at the floor, "I told you that she was calling you a jerk after you broke your promise to her... But she wasn't. I was just mad. I was mad that you kept spending all your time with her instead of with us, so I took advantage of the situation and I lied to you..."

"Jessi..."

"Now she's gone and I can't say sorry and it's all my fault you were mad at her in the first place. You shouldn't have been! She was standing up for you and telling everyone to leave you alone after you broke your promise..." Jessi was sobbing now. "I hated her for it."

"Jessi..." Zac hugged his sister tight. "I promise you... Kaylie will understand."

"It's too late..." Jessi whispered. "Kaylie is dead."

Zac stared at his younger sibling, then at the TV. He wiped his sister's tears away, and reached for the remote. "Jessi, I have something I need to show you."


	10. My Freaky Valentine Part 2

Jessi hadn't believed Zac at first. In fact, he wasn't sure that she fully believed him, even after he explained everything to her. As he explained what had happened the previous days, she just shook her head, tears still flowing freely. Finally though, the characters on the TV seemed to decide it was time to back the red head up.

"What did you say your name was again?" Duke turned to face the blonde girl next to him.

"I didn't say..." Kaylie turned away to look at the passing scenery. "But it's Kaylie."

Jessi's mouth dropped open, then she shook her head, "Kaylie has long hair, and she looks way to young. It's just you deluding yourself Zac... She's dead."

"No..." Zac kept watching. "You'll see..." He silently plead for them to continue on.

"Where are you from then?" Duke seemed to be sizing the teen up. "And why are you out here with these two?" He spoke a little more quietly so the two duelists in the back seat wouldn't hear him. "I don't quite trust them..."

"Hey! Quit whispering and speak loud enough so we can all hear!" Weevil suddenly tuned into the conversation. Jessi looked at Zac and rolled her eyes.

"I'm from somewhere very far away from here..." Kaylie said firmly. "And I'm with them because they saved me from a bunch of street punks." It was Zac's turn to roll his eyes. That was definitely not what had happened.

"It's no use trying to get more out of her..." Rex said with a slight pout in his voice, "The only other thing she told us was that she was eighteen and old enough to drive a car."

Jessi froze. Zac watched, satisfied as her brain processed this new information. Duke turned and looked at Kaylie again, shocked.

"Watch the road!" Kaylie's eyes widened and Duke swerved just in time, avoiding another car.

"Sorry... It's just..." His eyes remained firmly planted on the road, but Kaylie knew he was trying hard not to stare again.

"I know..." Kaylie turned away. "But it's the truth. I'm eighteen years old, and my family has no idea where I am..." After that, the conversation died away, and they continued driving in silence.

"Okay... So supposing I might believe you... What then?" Jessi turned to her brother.

"Then maybe you can help us figure out how to get her back," Zac stood up to pace. "The only thing either of us can think to do is have her follow the characters around and hope somewhere along the line she finds a way home."

Jessi shrugged, "Like I would know. I don't know a whole lot about Yu-Gi-Oh..."

Zac suddenly brightened, "My dear sister, prepare to be enlightened." And thus their marathon of Yu-Gi-Oh episodes started.

* * *

Kaylie kept her mouth shut the rest of the ride. She kept thinking about Zac, and what he'd said earlier about missing hanging out with her. For months the look on his face when he'd told her to go away and leave him alone had haunted her. For months she'd sobbed in her shower, huddled on the bathroom floor, and prayed that she would just die so she wouldn't have to deal with it. She saw her classmates as they informed her that Zac was talking about her behind her back. Slandering her. She thought about how everyone would stare at her and point, "That's her. She's the weird one. There's something wrong with her." She shook her head. No. If Zac had missed it all that much, he wouldn't have spread those rumors, and he wouldn't have destroyed her senior year. She shoved her cell phone deeper into her pocket.

"Look! There it is! Up ahead!" Duke pressed harder on the gas.

Kaylie bit her lip. Every second brought her closer to Yugi, and closer to home, but suddenly, remembering her plans in her old life, she wasn't sure she wanted to go back anymore.

"This is it!" Duke came to a screeching halt and Kaylie turned around to check on the other two in the back seat. They had fallen on the floor. The blonde resisted laughing, but it looked so similar to an experience she had had when first driving with her friends.

"Note to self," Rex grumbled. "Seat belts were invented for a reason."

"No duh Einstein..." Kaylie mumbled and rolled her eyes.

Duke ignored the two duelists in his back seat and looked up at the building. Suddenly he ran for the building.

Weevil stood up, "Hold on Duke! Wait for us!" Both duelists scrambled out of the car, leaving Kaylie to calmly walk after them. She glanced behind her. It would be so easy to just disappear. She could start a new life. Pretend like she'd always lived here.

"Hey guys!" Kaylie turned back around, only to realize Duke was shouting at the people inside the building. She started to walk forward, but decided to hang back at the last second. She couldn't hear what the gang was saying inside the building because she wasn't close enough.

"It's a long story," Duke stole a glance her way before turning back. "Hey, are you guys dueling in there!?"

Kaylie suddenly remembered the weight of the situation. She couldn't stay here. Not unless she wanted to have her soul taken, and though she might get it back, she wasn't sure things would turn out right now that she'd shown up. It wasn't a risk she could take.

"Why?" Duke continued his seemingly one sided conversation while Kaylie watched the duel from her spot far away. She was only too aware of the Pharaoh staring at her with searching eyes. He was trying to figure her out. _Good luck with that one dude._

"Just leave it to me!" Duke took off running while Weevil and Rex approached the building. Kaylie took a few steps forward as well, but was still hesitant to join the others. Questions were the last thing she wanted while a key duel was going on.

Rex and Weevil suddenly screamed. "It's that magic circle!" Weevil pressed his face against the window.

"Yeah! The same one we were trapped in!" Rex followed suit. Everyone's attention returned to the battle, and Kaylie closed her eyes. She was in way over her head. When she opened them again, Weevil was standing in front of her.

"Get over here! I don't trust you and I want to keep my eye on you!" He dragged her over to the building, but Kaylie couldn't help but notice the lack of suspicion in his eyes, and how gentle he was while pulling her along. As the duel continued, she also noticed several concerned looks thrown her way. Unsure of whether to feel creeped out or glad that someone was actually showing they cared, Kaylie looked at her shoes, counting the ants as they crawled by. The duel wasn't really holding her attention because she already knew the outcome, and these things were forever long anyway. Distantly she wondered what Zac was doing, and if he'd given up on her.

* * *

Zac yawned and looked at the clock. Jessi had long since fallen asleep, but he didn't feel tired, despite the yawning. He pulled Kaylie's box closer and looked into it. All afternoon he couldn't help but feel something was missing from it, and now that it was dark, he suddenly knew what it was. "Nanas isn't in here..." Zac moved the papers to make sure. The stuffed monkey was no where to be found. Kaylie had been suffering from some traumatic nightmares and she was getting sick. She was too scared to stay home, so she would come to school. He'd given the monkey to her so she would know she was never truly alone. So she'd always have a reminder that he loved her. _She never truly gave up the idea that I loved her... _Zac shut the box. _I need to apologize... Kaylie, please turn your phone on soon._


	11. My Freaky Valentine Part 3

(Thank you so much for your patience! School is out for the semester, but I'm still really busy all the time. I do have this entire story planned out, so I won't leave you hanging... Even if it does take forever to update! Thanks again! Enjoy!)

* * *

Zac turned and looked at his little sister. She was still asleep. He stood up and covered her with a blanket before going upstairs to get a drink. When he returned, he noticed the duel on the TV was coming to an end. It hadn't been as interesting, since he knew the outcome. In fact, he almost wished he could fast forward through it.

Kaylie's facial expressions were more interesting to him. She looked so sad. Zac could only imagine what it was like to actually be there, watching the two once best friends dueling each other for their souls. But then again, Kaylie had always been a bit of a sap for warm and fuzzy things, so it would always hit her a bit harder to see two friends fighting than it would him.

* * *

Kaylie snapped to attention when the explosion of the seal sounded through the glass. The smoke rolled inside the building. When it finally began to clear, she saw Valon holding Mai. Rafael used his Orichalcos stone, and soon the three were gone. She watched as Tea, Tristan, and Yugi roused Joey, and saw the hurt on his face. He hadn't saved her. Kaylie's heart ached. Mai had so many people who cared about her and loved her... Why couldn't she see that?

That's when it struck Kaylie hard. Had she been blind to the people who loved her back home as well? Perhaps. How could she have seen it in the life of a cartoon character, but not her own? The blonde felt a little foolish and ashamed, so she looked away from the happy reunion and began walking. She needed to sort her thoughts too. The barrier that had separated her from the gang was gone, and questions were going to start flying.

A violent wind interrupted her thoughts, and the teen girl looked up. _Oh no... _Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon plane was above her, coming in for a landing. She covered her face from the dust that was flying around. This was the last thing that she needed.

Finally the plane landed and Kaiba stepped out with Mokuba. "Kaylie!" Mokuba went to run over, but Kaiba stopped him, glaring at the girl.

"What are you doing here?"

Kaylie smoothed her hair down, doing her best to look presentable in her blood stained t-shirt. She hadn't had time to get new clothes with the money she'd been given, and she could tell this irritated the man. She threw him her best smile, "I got a little lost after I got off the plane."

Kaiba sneered and turned on his heel, waving at Mokuba to follow. Kaylie mumbled "good riddance" under her breath, then turned to see Weevil and Rex staring. She shrugged and walked over to them, "Must be mistaking me for someone else..."

Duke appeared around the corner and motioned for them to follow him inside the building. Kaylie took a deep breath, and complied. Duke ran ahead, joining Yugi and the gang, only to stop short at the sight of Kaiba, "Whoa... It's a party. What brings you here?"

"Certainly not the dweeb convention," came the sharp retort.

"Just take a hike," Tristan growled. Kaylie silently seconded that.

"Why don't you!?" Mokuba demanded.

"Any sign of Pegasus?" Kaiba ignored Tristan.

Yugi, well, the Pharaoh actually, shook his head, "We're too late."

"That's right..." Tristan joined the Pharaoh. "Believe it or not, Mai Valentine got to him before we did. She took his soul with some Orichalcos thing!"

Kaylie mentally smacked herself in the face. When were they going to learn that direct references to magic would never work on Kaiba? However, she was surprised when he didn't protest...

"Orichalcos?" He asked.

"Kaiba?" The Pharaoh looked worried. "Have you experienced this card before?"

Kaylie took a minute to sort her mind out. Had he already had his duel with Alister? She couldn't remember if that came before or after what was happening now. He must have, because it was very unlike Kaiba to believe something so outrageous so easily.

"You bet!" Mokuba started before his brother could say a word. "Seto just wiped the floor with someone who played it." Kaylie nodded as her question was answered. He had battled Alister for the first time already. "He pretended to be Pegasus, and then made us fly all the way to Duelist Kingdom to duel him!"

"And then he ran away..." Kaiba explained. "So we came here to get some answers." Kaylie shuffled nervously. Answers followed questions, and she didn't want to be answering any of those just yet. "Whoever captured Pegasus is trying to take over my company, and that's unacceptable!"

Then, for some odd reason, everyone turned to stare at Kaylie. She looked at them all with wide eyes, but kept her mouth shut. The only person who wasn't staring at her was the Pharaoh, who reached into his pocket and took a card out. "Hold on!" Kaylie let out the breath she was holding as everyone turned to face him instead. "This card Pegasus sent us may be a clue." He snuck a look at Kaylie. He was bailing her out! "It seems to contain the image of a key..."

Duke's face lit up, "Wait! There was one door upstairs that wouldn't unlock even when I cracked the security system!"

The Pharaoh turned to face his friend, "That's it!"

"Take us there right now!" Kaiba demanded.

"Uh... Calm down," Duke frowned.

"Who invited you!?" Tristan yelled. "We were here first ya moocher!"

Kaylie's attention was drawn back to the Pharaoh, who was standing by Joey. She frowned when she realized he was still sitting on the floor. She wanted to comfort him and tell him it would be okay... But his friend got there first.

"It'll be alright Joey..." The Pharaoh sounded so sure of himself. "We'll rescue Mai."

_I wish someone would come rescue me... _The stray thought led to more thoughts of Zac, but Kaylie shut them down. He was not her knight in shining armor.

"Thanks Yug..." Joey stood up, and the group headed for the stairs.

"What do you think's up there?" Tristan wondered out loud as they got further and further away.

"We'll soon find out," Tea sighed.

"What are we? Chopped liver?" Kaylie turned at Rex's voice, smothering a smile. "I tell ya, you and I get no respect at all."

"Who needs respect?" Weevil turned to his friend. "If they ignore us it'll be that much easier to sneak in!"

"Yeah! Whatever's in that room will be ours!" Rex cheered.

_Well if you're into toon monsters, I'm sure that'd be great! _Kaylie smiled to herself as she walked to follow Yugi's group. She may not belong here, but if she was going to get home, she needed to be close to the heroes.

"Hey! Wait for us!" Weevil ran to catch up with her. "We're still not letting you out of our sight!"

"Whatever..." Kaylie rolled her eyes and began climbing the stairs. They caught up with the rest of the group, following silently.

"How can anyone find their way around this place?" Tristan complained after walking through another door.

"That's the door guys!" Duke turned and approached a door off to the side. "Now we just need to figure out how to open it with a duel monsters card... Anyone got any ideas?"

_Uh... You swipe it through the console thing next to the door? _Kaylie smirked to herself, earning her a dirty look from the two short teens next to her.

Luckily, the Pharaoh seemed to read her mind. He swiped the card and the door unlocked. Distantly Kaylie wondered if anyone else found it ironic that the ancient ghost knew more about technology than they did. Again, she had a hard time not smiling.

"Exactly what I would have done..." Duke stammered.

"So... Who wants to go in there first?" Tristan stared into the dark room.

"Maybe we can all draw straws or something..." Joey suggested. Kaylie shuddered, remembering her various nightmares from past years. She was terrified of the dark. Luckily, Kaiba didn't seem to share her problem. He pushed past everyone else and entered the room, Mokuba following.

"Let's close the door and run..." Joey joked as soon as the Kaiba brothers got far enough into the room.

"Joey!" Tea scolded.

Kaylie stuck by the door after everyone else had entered. She had no desire to be in that room longer than she needed to. It was a little bit creepy, especially for toon monsters. She watched the hologram explain things from her spot, earning her a few more strange looks from the others. She shrugged, "I'm good over here, thank you."

After Pegasus' little explanation, everyone began searching the room. Kaylie found her eyes drawn to the Pot of Greed replica that was sitting not far off. The Pharaoh noticed her gaze, and nodded at her with a slight smile. "Pot of Greed! That lets you draw extra cards in the game of Duel Monsters!"

Rex and Weevil literally jumped at the chance to grab the card before anyone else, but Tristan got there first. Kaylie braced herself for the disappointment she knew they would soon feel by finding a blank card.

"Oh..." Tristan looked at the card in his hand. "Real special card! This thing's completely blank guys!"

"Then it's worthless..." Kaiba snapped.

The Pharaoh looked back at Kaylie and she looked at the card, shaking her head ever so slightly.

"Not necessarily..." Her heart jumped as the Pharaoh believed her. The hologram finished its speech, and disappeared. Kaylie looked back at the door behind her, then sighed. She couldn't stand back forever. She began to walk forward to join the group. The room was a little less creepy now that Pegasus was gone.

At that moment, Kaiba did exactly what Kaylie thought he would. He began to doubt what he was seeing. She almost laughed to herself. Perhaps he was as predictable as she thought. The Pharaoh began to debate with him, and Kaylie turned to find the room split into two groups. Yugi's gang on one side, Kaiba and his brother on the other. She let out a sigh and turned to roll her eyes where they wouldn't be able to see. Instead, she found her elbow connecting with Weevil's face, and his glasses went flying...

"My bad..." She whispered. "Sorry! I'll help you find them..." She sighed, searching the floor. You'd think that being a cartoon character would at least make her a little more graceful.


	12. The Challenge

"Your track record stinks Weevil!" Rex had continued the search for rare cards while Kaylie and Weevil tried to locate the missing glasses. "So why should I believe that there are more rare cards in here?"

"Because I'm the smart one," Weevil's hands searched the floor. "And you're just the goofy sidekick."

Tristan glanced up, noticing the antics of the shorter teenagers, "What are you guys up to over there?"

Weevil quickly covered for Rex, "My glasses... I can't find them. This dope over here knocked them off!" He motioned towards where he thought Kaylie was. He was off by ten feet. Kaylie looked at Tristan, shrugged, and held up his glasses. She'd found them only a few moments before.

"Uh... They're right there..." Tristan pointed at Kaylie. "Right in her hand..."

Weevil spun and shot a glare at empty space. "I'm over here..." Kaylie held the glasses out, now standing in front of him. "You really can't see without them can you?"

Weevil just glared and put the glasses back on his face. Kaylie sighed and leaned against one of the various rocks that decorated the room. She was starting to wonder if everyone here was just as destined to hate her as everyone else in the real world did.

"So now that we know who's causing this whole mess, what are we supposed to do about it guys?" The group went right back to ignoring the three teens as Tea continued their conversation.

"We find this Dartz guy and his goon squad and we rescue Mai," Joey answered.

"Unfortunately they split without leaving an address," Tristan frowned. "So that's not going to work."

"Good point..." Joey looked slight defeated.

"Plan B anyone?" Tea sighed.

_Use your resources? _Kaylie thought to herself. _Internet search? _

"We could chill out back at my crib," Duke offered. "Play a little Dungeon Dice Monsters." Kaylie visibly face palmed, catching the Pharaoh's attention. Suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Wait! I know." He turned back to the group. "Professor Hawkins!" Seeing the blonde teen must have remind him of the first time they'd seen each other, in the museum. "He lives around here. He may have some new information that could help us!"

"Good call!" Tea smiled. "He did say he was going back home to continue his research on the lost city of Atlantis!"

"Yes," the Pharaoh nodded. "And I have the feeling that somehow his discovery is related to our new enemy."

"Okay," Tristan, as usual, had to find something wrong with this plan. "We know where we're going, but what about how?"

Suddenly a large noise sounded through the room, causing everyone to look up.

"Kaiba!" the Pharaoh realized.

The group rushed to the nearest window and pulled the curtains open. Sure enough, Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon jet could be seen rising from the ground.

"Flag him down or something quick!" Tea cried.

_It's a lost cause... _Kaylie stayed put.

"Hey!" Tristan yelled through the glass. "We need a lift prince boy!"

"He can't hear you through the glass and over his jet..." Kaylie muttered, earning her a few glares as the dragon disappeared into the distance. Kaylie caught Duke's eye and made a driving a car motion with her hands. His eyes lit up.

"Well..." Tristan sighed. "So much for that idea."

"Dude no sweat!" Duke laughed. "We'll just take my car."

"Cool!" Tea smiled. "But are you sure we can all fit in there?"

Everyone turned to stare at the three misfit teens. "The five of us can squeeze in there no problem," Duke started. Kaylie's heart sank. She couldn't lose the group after she'd come this far to find them! She didn't have anywhere to go anyway!

"Hello!" Weevil growled.

"What about us!?" Rex huffed.

"Why are you three here anyway?" Tristan asked suspiciously.

Weevil and Rex laughed nervously, but Kaylie stepped forward, "That's our business. Not yours."

"Well then I guess we don't have to take you with us!" Tristan shot back.

Kaylie glared at him, "Then I guess you don't need our help."

"Tristan wait!" The Pharaoh looked the girl up and down. "There's something she's not telling us..."

"And she's not going to tell us!" Tristan growled. "Let's just go!"

"Hold on..." Duke looked at Kaylie. "I've got a spot for them." She mouthed thank you and he shrugged. "She ran into these two by accident, so it's not fair to affiliate her with them, and none of them have anywhere to go. It's the least we could do."

"So where are we gonna put them?" Tea asked.

"Easy. They can sit with your luggage in the trunk!" Duke grinned.

"We are not extra baggage!" Weevil spat out.

"Yeah!" Rex joined in. "We deserve better than that!"

"You could always stay here with the creepy toons," Kaylie muttered to them under her breath. Weevil and Rex glanced around at the monsters and shook their heads. "Thanks Duke," Kaylie smiled. "It's better than nothing."

"Alright!" Duke cheered. "To the car!"

There was a flurry of activity as bags were thrown in the car trunk. Kaylie was just about to get in when she felt a hand on her shoulder, "Wait..." She turned and came face to face with the Pharaoh. "You can sit up front between Tea and Duke."

Kaylie flinched at the his touch, "I think I'll be okay..."

The Pharaoh's eyes hardened, "Please... I have a few questions I'd like to ask you..."

Kaylie shrugged his hand off, "I said no!"

Suddenly, Tristan and Joey were at their friend's side, "C'mon. You don't really want to sit back there with those two do you?" Tristan frowned.

"What's wrong with us!?" Rex exclaimed.

"Nothing," Kaylie said cooly, still staring at the Pharaoh. "But I don't think I'm being given a choice."

Rex and Weevil both frowned before climbing in the back. Kaylie jumped into the car and sat between the driver and passenger seats. In a few minutes, the car was speeding down the road. It didn't take long for the prying questions to start.

"You look familiar," The Pharaoh started.

"We saw each other at the museum in Japan," Kaylie stated flatly.

"And now you're in America?" He asked.

"And so are you.." The small teen snapped. "But if you must know, I'm here because Kaiba put me on the earliest flight he could to get me out of his sight."

"Kaiba?" Joey jumped in.

"Yes..." Kaylie rolled her eyes. "I got beat up and Mokuba decided to help me, so he took me to his brother. Kaiba and I had a little bit of a disagreement, and the easiest way to solve it was to get rid of me, so he did."

"That's a little hard to believe," Tea raised an eyebrow.

"It's the truth," The Pharaoh was gone, replaced by Yugi. "I saw one of Kaiba's men talking to her in the museum."

"Yugi," Joey looked at his friend. "Are you sure pal?"

Yugi nodded, "I don't think she has any reason to lie to us about it, and didn't you see the looks Kaiba kept throwing her way. They've definitely met before."

"I'm still sitting here..." Kaylie muttered. "And I can hear what you're saying."

"Sorry," Yugi laughed nervously.

"So why didn't Kaiba want you around?" Tristan asked. "Is it because you're a kid?"

"That's none of your business," Kaylie snapped. "And I'm an adult!"

The shocked looks on everyone's faces caused Duke to break out into a grin, "It's true. She's eighteen."

"I was supposed to be on a plane to go home, but I wasn't feeling well and ended up on the wrong flight. I got dumped off in Japan, ran into Mokuba, who took me to Kaiba Corp, where Kaiba's men proceeded to beat me to a pulp," The teenager showed them the bruises on her arms as proof. "Then I was put in some sort of hospital until Kaiba came and got me and informed me he'd be sending me back to America on the next flight he could. Unfortunately the plane only went as far as San Francisco, so I got lost in the big city where I ran into those two," She motioned to the back, her voice rising. "We got mugged on the streets and Duke rescued us. That's how I ended up here." She was practically yelling. "Now if you're all done prying into my personal life, I'd appreciate it if you left me alone!"

They did just that. For the next half hour, everyone was silent. Finally, Tristan broke the silence by leaning forward to talk to Tea, "Are you sure you're not holding that map upside down?"

"Will you please zip it!?" Tea snapped. "Unless you want to join those dorks in the trunk!" Kaylie bit her tongue to keep from saying something.

"Can't we just take that blue line?" Tristan asked.

"If we had a boat!" Tea growled. Duke started laughing. He was the only one who seemed to be in a good mood after Kaylie's tirade, "Blue lines are rivers..." Tea finished.

"Duh..." Tristan looked embarrassed. "I know..."

Kaylie turned to glance at the three boys behind her, when she realized Joey hadn't even heard the exchange. He seemed thousands of miles away. "Joey..."

"Huh?" Joey looked up at the girl sitting in front of him.

"She'll be okay..." Kaylie bit her lip.

"How do you know?" Joey asked. Everyone shifted positions, letting Kaylie know they were all listening in.

"Because I know you won't give up on her..." Kaylie started. "Anyone who..." She choked on her words. "As long as she has you, I know she'll work through it."

Joey looked stunned, "Thanks..." He stopped. "Uh... I don't even know your name."

"It's Kaylie..." The blonde teenager turned back around to watch the road, but her thoughts were on Zac.

* * *

Zac woke with a start. He wasn't sure when he'd finally fallen asleep, but sunlight was streaming in through the window now. He stood up and stretched, realizing the TV was turned off too. He was about to turn it back on when his mom appeared from around the corner. "Don't even think about it..." She held up a suit.

"Huh?" Zac looked confused.

"The newspaper is coming to interview you today. You told me yesterday you wanted to do it. Have you changed your mind?" His mom frowned worriedly.

"No!" Zac jumped up. He'd agreed to do the interview because this was his chance to tell everyone not to give up on Kaylie. Somehow, the suicide note had been released to the public, and it was all over the news.

"If you're sure..." His mom handed him the suit. "Go get showered and dressed..." She turned and went back upstairs, leaving Zac alone with his sleeping sister.

The red head turned and looked at the TV, "Good luck Kaylie."

* * *

"You sure this is the place?" Joey looked shocked. Kaylie frowned. The house ruins in front of her were still smoking.

Yugi looked around, fear in his eyes, "Professor Hawkins! Rebecca!"

"Yugi..." Rebecca was suddenly there, standing in front of Yugi, tears in her eyes.

"Rebecca!" Yugi sounded relieved. "What happened here?"

"Yugi..." Rebecca's voice shook. "They took him. My poor grandpa!" Suddenly the tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she was hugging the spikey haired teen. She continued talking, but Kaylie couldn't make out what she was saying through her sobs.

"We're gonna find him..." Yugi said soothingly. "I promise."

"Thank you..." Rebecca looked up. "Who would do something like this!?"

Kaylie looked away, "It's getting dark. We need somewhere to stay..."

Rebecca looked up at the blonde teen, "Our trailer is still intact. We can go in there."

Yugi nodded, and everyone followed the young girl to the trailer. Soon there was a pot of tea on the stove, and discussions had started. Kaylie sat by herself, staring out into the desert. She was surprised when Tea came and sat down by her. "Hey..."

"Hey..." Kaylie answered softly.

"I just wanted to say thank you..." Tea tilted her head. "For what you said to Joey earlier."

"Oh..." The blonde looked away. "It was nothing."

Tea frowned, "It sounded like you were speaking from experience..."

"Not really," Kaylie sighed. "More like a lack of experience..." Tea looked confused, so she continued. "I know what it's like to feel like you don't have friends who care... Just like Mai." Tea started to say something, but Kaylie cut her off. "Except no one came after me." She looked down at the phone in her hand. It was still turned off.

"You didn't have friends?" Tea asked finally.

Kaylie shook her head, "My friends were the ones that were saying things about me... Behind my back. I didn't have anyone I could turn to. I was lost... I guess Mai is feeling similarly."

"But there must be someone," Tea pushed.

Kaylie shrugged, "I can't talk to anyone without getting hurt... The things he says..."

"Who?" Tea asked.

"A friend..." Kaylie's hand closed around the phone. "I guess we both said some pretty terrible things to each other. I'm not sure how to..." She stopped. "I don't know how to apologize."

"Well..." Tea grinned. "I'm sorry would be a good place to start!"

"Yeah..." Kaylie looked down at the phone again. Perhaps it was time to turn around and face the past.

"Look what I found!" Tristan slammed his hand down on the strings of a guitar. "Whoo!"

"Stop!" Kaylie snatched it away quickly. The teenage boy looked at her stunned. "You'll break it retard."

At first, Tristan looked offended, but slowly, a smile creeped across his face. "Alright then. If you're so smart, why don't you play us something?"

Kaylie blushed bright red, "I'm not very good!"

"I think we could all use a little wind down," Duke nodded towards her. "Play. We're not going to judge you..."

Kaylie found herself smiling as she held the guitar in her lap, "Just one song..." Her fingers brushed gently across the strings. It had been months since she'd practiced her own guitar, and she was a little rusty, but music had never sounded better. She strummed one song softly, then started another. Soon some light conversation started, and everyone began to relax for the first time that day. After a few minutes, no one noticed the music stop, or the door open and close. No one saw the small teenager slip out with guitar in hand.

* * *

Zac flipped the TV on and sighed. The interview had gone terribly. Not only had he been accused of causing a girl to commit suicide, he'd also been accused of murdering her and forging the letter himself. He was emotionally drained, and just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, he turned the TV on to find Kaylie talking to Tea. They were talking about him.

Zac recognized the song Kaylie played right off. He found himself crying softly as she played and hummed the song. Sad Song by Christina Perri. There was no mistaking it. She had played it out in front of the school every day after he told her they were no longer friends. He used to walk by with her old friends as an excuse to listen to her sing... But this time, he realized why she was playing it. It was her apology. He sat down and closed his eyes. "Kaylie... I'm so sorry..."

* * *

Kaylie watched the phone light up. She quickly dialed Zac's number, and held it to her ear. The moment he picked up, she started crying. "Zac... I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Hey..." His voice echoed softly through her ear. "You don't need to be sorry. I think you've said sorry plenty of times now..."

"Zac..."

"No, let me talk." His voice was determined. "Kaylie, I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I spread those rumors about you, and I'm sorry you lost so many friends over it. All your friends over it. I understand if you don't forgive me, and I'm sorry for saying what I did earlier about missing being your friend. It was selfish and stupid and inconsiderate. It was me who said we couldn't be friends anymore."

"It's okay..." Kaylie wiped the tears off her cheek.

"Alright..." She could practically see him grinning in her head. "Then let's get you home!"

"Thank you Zac..." Kaylie whispered. "I'll talk to you later..."

"Definitely. Now go get some rest."

"Bye..." Kaylie hung up before giving him a chance to reply. She didn't want him to change his mind. That's when she became aware of the voices coming from not far off.

"I haven't eaten in like five days..." Rex mumbled. "My stomach won't stop growling!"

"Some french fries would be nice," Weevil agreed.

Just then, the trailer door opened, and the two duelists jumped up, only to find themselves pushed down. "Shhh..." Kaylie held a finger to her lips. Yugi and Rebecca exited the trailer, and stood not far off.

"Interesting," Weevil mumbled once they had finished making plans for Yugi to go to Death Valley alone.

"Hush..." Kaylie whispered, passing them a plate of food. "Here..."

The two teen boys gobbled the food down while Kaylie watched Yugi and Rebecca re-enter the trailor.

"What was that about?" Rex asked through a mouthful of food.

"Yugi's going after the Professor," Kaylie answered, strumming the guitar quietly.

"Nothing for us to worry about," Weevil assured Rex. "Those losers' problems aren't ours."

"Get over yourselves..." Kaylie muttered.

"What?" Rex frowned.

"I said, get over yourselves!" Kaylie growled, louder this time.

"Excuse me!?" Weevil glared at her.

"You don't understand what's going on at all do you? You don't even care!" The blonde teenager stood up. "There are people out there getting hurt, and all you two care about is getting some stupid rare cards! How selfish can you be!?"

"Oh we're the selfish ones!?" Rex stood up to match Kaylie's height. "Those guys ruined our lives! You have no idea what we've been through!"

"Oh I don't do I?" Kaylie snapped. "Please, enlighten me!"

"We used to be the best!" Rex pushed her. "People looked up to us! Do you know what it's like to go from being on top to being the bottom of the heap!?"

"Actually," Kaylie spat back. "I do! I know what it's like to have your best friend turn on you and do everything he can to ruin your life ON PURPOSE! What Yugi and his friends did wasn't on purpose! They were fighting for something they believe in! That's why they beat you! They had other people they were fighting for. You two only fight for yourselves!" She spun on her heel and started to walk away. Rex looked like he was about to tackle her to the ground, but Weevil stopped him.

"Rex..." The blue haired duelist shook his head. "Don't."

Rex huffed and sat down as they watched her disappear. After a few moments he turned to Weevil, "You like her don't you?"

"Shut up Rex."

* * *

"Ready Copernicus?" Yugi looked up at Rebecca's horse, determination shining in his eyes.

"Wait!" Kaylie ran over, grabbing the horse's reins. Yugi stared at her in shock.

"Kaylie!" He shook his head and recovered. "Go back to bed! I'm going alone."

"No you're not..." Kaylie held the reins firmly. "Look, I know you and the Pharaoh have figured I know something you don't, and you're right. You have to take me with you."

Yugi's mouth dropped open, "How do you know about the Pharaoh?"

"I can't tell you..." Kaylie stared at him, equally as determined. "You have to trust me though..."

Yugi glanced to the side, where Kaylie assumed the Pharaoh must have been standing. He nodded his head slightly. His puzzle glowed, and suddenly, the taller version of himself was standing in front of the teen.

"Alright, you win..." The Pharaoh jumped up on the horse. "But I expect some answers..." He reached his hand down. Kaylie smiled and took it.

_If only you knew what you are about to do... _The blonde thought sadly. _You would hate me if you knew I could have warned you and didn't. No... You can't know the truth. _"You've got a deal," She took the Pharaoh's hand, and was hoisted up onto the saddle. Soon they were speeding off into the night, every minute drawing them closer to the danger that awaited them.


	13. The Fate of the Pharaoh Part 1

Kaylie hadn't ridden a horse in ten years. In fact, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd ridden a horse, just that she had done it once upon a time. Now she had been on one for over an hour, riding with a thousand year old pharaoh, in a world that she had thought belonged strictly on TV. No words passed between the two as they rode closer and closer to Rafael. The blonde teen was fighting with her inner self over whether she should say something to the pharaoh or not, despite her earlier resolve not to. This was her chance to rewrite the history of these characters! She could change things for the better! Except she wasn't sure if it would be a change for the better, and what if she couldn't get home because she said something? She had landed herself in quite the predicament.

Finally the horse stopped on the edge of a drop off. Rafael was standing not far off, waiting. "Let's do this!" The Pharaoh turned and looked at his passenger, and she nodded. She'd lost her chance to say anything.

The horse jumped forward, causing a short scream to sound from her mouth. It slid down the sharp incline, then jumped again. To Kaylie's astonishment, the Pharaoh jumped from the horse, landing on his feet. She quickly grabbed the reins to steady the horse as soon as it landed. She quickly hopped down when it had, and joined the Pharaoh, shaking.

"Very impressive cowboy!" Rafael taunted. "But you'll need more than a few rodeo tricks to get yourself out of this."

Kaylie swallowed as she followed the Pharaoh forward. She was expecting Rafael to protest her approach any second, but he didn't. She followed the thousand year old spirit onto the rickety bridge, her heart pounding.

"You see while my associates are satisfied with stealing the souls of your friends, I'm not." Rafael's arms were folded firmly against his chest, while the other two found their feet once again on solid ground. That was when Rafael seemed to notice Kaylie for the first time. She braced herself to be sent back, but he just smiled. Was she missing something? Shouldn't he be protesting her presence, or was there a reason he was allowing her to stay?

"I did my part!" The Pharaoh growled. "Now release the professor as you promised!"

"He's already been set free," Rafael stated, causing both Kaylie and the Pharaoh to jump with surprise. "But since you've come all this way, you might as well stay awhile." He looked at Kaylie, as if daring her to convince the Pharaoh to leave. The blonde considered it for a moment, but kept her mouth shut. Rafael grinned again, and suddenly Kaylie realized why he hadn't protested her presence to begin with, but it was a little too late. The duelist threw his trench coat off and cut the ropes on the bridge before she could bat an eyelash.

_He knows! _The teenage girl started to shake. _He knows I'm not from this world and he knows I won't interfere! That I can't interfere. That's why he's letting me stay. But how could he know!? _

"So you're going to stick around right?" Rafael smiled and shot the girl a knowing look. "Cause like I said before Pharaoh, your friends aren't good enough. I need to capture the soul of the Pharaoh himself, so I can save the world."

"Save the world?" The Pharaoh looked at Kaylie, obviously confused. "Don't you see that what you're doing is going to destroy the world!? Or are you so insane that you can't tell the difference?"

"I'm just fine," Rafael sneered. "It's you that's blind to what's going on! You're fighting on the wrong side."

"Explain yourself!" The Pharaoh demanded.

"This world's a dark and lonely place to live," Rafael shot Kaylie another look, and she thought about where she was before she'd been stolen away from her home. She had been about to kill herself because she was so lonely, and so lost. "It's been poisoned by mankind. All I'm trying to do is fix what's been ruined by people like you, and I'll do it by locking your spirit away for good." The blonde teenager began to shake harder. She understood what he was saying. She knew what he was talking about. It was harder for her to stand by the Pharaoh. Another war was waging inside of her.

"Who do you think you are?" The man standing beside her jolted Kaylie from her battle. She tried to push the manipulation of her feelings away, but it continued to gnaw at her heart.

"Look, the name's Rafael and I called you here to duel, not to shoot the breeze. I've waited for this moment long enough and I have no intention of putting our fight off for another minute," Another look was thrown Kaylie's way, and again, she remained silent. "So let's go!"

The Pharaoh remained silent for a few seconds, then finally spoke, "You've given me no choice! But know this... In the end righteousness shall prevail and justice will be served."

"That's just what I'm hoping for!" Rafael smirked. The two duelists activated their duel disks.

Kaylie wasn't thinking about the Pharaoh and Rafael anymore. She was thinking about Zac. Zac, who had hurt her and destroyed everything because he thought it was right. The boy who had thrown her aside and trampled her life in front of everyone... She thought about Weevil and Rex, destined to be losers for the rest of their lives because Yugi and his friends didn't care. She thought about how the group paraded about like they owned the world, and her stomach turned. She wasn't even aware of Rafael watching her as she took a few steps back. She was beginning to doubt.

"Let's duel!"

Kaylie felt a faint buzzing in her pocket, but her mind was far away. Rafael's words had gotten to her. She could sense his inner justice, his belief in what was right. It was so strong, she felt herself giving way.

"I'll start things off if you don't mind!" Rafael drew a card. "By playing a magic card known as Guardian Treasure! It allows me to draw two new cards as long as I toss out the five that are in my hand. Plus I can draw two more cards every round from now on." Kaylie had memories rushing back to her. She was unable to speak. She watched the duel blankly. "I summon a monster in defense mode, and then I place one card face down on the field. That ends my turn. You ought to be thanking me Pharaoh. I just gave you a head start. Since I played two cards, I have nothing left in my hand."

"Here goes!" The Pharaoh drew his card. He quickly fused his two monsters together to form Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast. His eyes lit up with surprise as Rafael's monster blocked the attack easily. Again, both Kaylie and the Pharaoh were aware of something powering Rafael. Of course, Kaylie knew exactly what it was, while the Pharaoh didn't.

Rafael used Gravity Axe to bring his Guardian Grarl out. Kaylie turned away as the lizard obliterated the Pharaoh's monster with ease, allowing Berfomet to return. The two duelists threw around a few words of banter, leaving the teenage girl to her thoughts.

* * *

Zac watched as Kaylie backed away from the Pharaoh. What was going on? He quickly sent off a text, but whatever was going threw her head had jolted her completely out of reality. She didn't even signal that she'd received it. Something was wrong.

While the Pharaoh seemed completely oblivious to the blonde girl's sudden flight, Rafael was not. Zac watched as he kept throwing looks her way, and how she kept shrinking back every time. Frantic, the red head tried calling his friend over and over again. Nothing worked. She was completely absorbed by whatever was going on in her head, and there was nothing he could do about it. There was some sort of secret conversation going on between her and the Guardian Duelist. The whole time Rafael told his story, he was staring at her.

* * *

"When I was a kid, I was fooled into believing the world was a happy place." Rafael looked at Kaylie. "But soon I discovered the truth. That nothing's fair and no one gets what they deserve."

_Good people get hurt... _Kaylie felt tears spilling down her cheeks. _And they forgive the ones who hurt them so easily, the bad people don't have consequences. _

"What a sad way to see the world," The Pharaoh said softly.

"Yeah, well life is sad!" Rafael snapped. "And the sooner you realize that the better off you'll be!" Kaylie found herself nodding slowly. "I ought to know. I used to have everything a kid could want!" He went back to looking at the teenage girl. "Until one day, when everything was taken away from me."

_I know what you mean... _Kaylie looked him directly in the eye. _I've been there._

* * *

Zac watched as his friend nodded at what the duelist was saying. His heart stopped. _She's agreeing with him! But why?_

"That was the last time I saw my family," Rafael's gaze was ripping Kaylie apart. Zac wanted to scream at the TV. He wanted his friend to know that her family was still here, that she could return to them. "The storm was over as quickly as it had started. My family made it onto a rescue boat, but I was left behind."

"Don't listen to him Kaylie..." Zac whispered. "You know better! You can help him understand that his family didn't leave him on purpose! I've seen you do it before!" But Kaylie didn't say anything. She looked away, still crying.

"Zac, what's going on?" Jessi was suddenly there, watching the screen intently too.

"I don't know!" Zac cried. "Kaylie's gone crazy! She's agreeing with the bad guys!"

"What!?" Jessi sat down quickly. "What did he say!?"

"He was talking about the world being a sad and lonely place..." Zac started. "And suddenly she just..." He stopped. "No... Not suddenly. She's felt that way all along." His eyes widened and he turned to Jessi. "He knows! Somehow he knows that Kaylie was struggling with life! He knows about the suicide note!"

"Zac that's crazy!" Jessi countered. "How could he possibly know? He's a cartoon character!"

"And so is she!" Zac pointed out. "This isn't logical Jessi. Everything about this goes against logic!"

"Okay so assuming he does know," Jessi relented. "What good would that do him?"

"I don't know yet..." Zac frowned. "But I intend to find out. No one, and I mean no one, manipulates my friend."

* * *

"It didn't take me too long to realize that I was alone," Rafael had the girl. He knew it. Master Dartz would be thrilled. "Everything I once had was gone." The broken look in her eyes, the way she was shaking, and her slow steps back made it obvious. She was just like him, and Master Dartz could fix her, just like he had fixed Rafael. She was a victim too. A victim of the evils of mankind. "Who would watch over me now?"

The Pharaoh was listening to Rafael, and he didn't seem to be aware that the story was more for the sake of the girl standing behind him than it was for him to understand the duelist's point of view. Rafael didn't care. Perhaps it was better that way. "I knew I had two choices. Sit around and feel sorry for myself, or toughen up and move on!"

The girl looked shocked. It was just as Dartz had said. She only needed a little shove in the right direction, and she would stop moping around and become a great asset to the team. Rafael smiled to himself. "And if I wanted to survive, the decision was simple. There was no time for weakness." He stared right at her, then turned back to the Pharaoh. "I learned at a young age that the world is cold and lonely. I lost my childhood, but I gained something more important. The truth." And it was the truth he had just revealed to the teenager before him. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground. Mission accomplished. Now all he had to do, was defeat the Pharaoh.

* * *

Kaylie stared at the ground, tear drops hitting her hands. She had been weak. She had wanted to give up when she should have been fighting back. She could be like Rafael, helping to change the world so people like her wouldn't get hurt anymore. Dartz had taken Rafael in, then perhaps he would take her. A crash sounded from behind, jolting the girl from her thoughts. Weevil and Rex had finally arrived. She looked back at the duelists. Story time was over. The duel had started back up.

The Pharaoh had the five Kuriboh brothers on the field. He quickly fused them together to form Kuribabylon, boosted its power, and ordered it to attack. Rafael blocked the attack with a magic card, and started his turn. He placed two cards face down, then played Purity of the Cemetery. Then, the shocking announcement came. Rafael was not going to play his Seal of Orichalcos card. The Pharaoh looked shocked, but Kaylie took it calmly.

_He's going to let you destroy yourself... _She eased her way back to her feet. _Proving that the only evil one here, is you. _


	14. The Fate of the Pharaoh Part 2

(Yay for super short chapters because the author is too lazy to type out an entire duel! Sorry about that, but I'm trying to get as much done before school starts back up again. You could always just go watch the episode if you really want an entire play by play. :D)

The Pharaoh blocked Rafael's attack just barely. _What a pity too... _Kaylie thought. _If he'd just let the duel end there, then no one would have the chance to play the Seal of Orichalcos... But I suppose his pride won't let him lose, even when his best friend is on the line. _The cold thought should have shocked the blonde, but it didn't.

The duel continued, and within a minute, the Pharaoh had summoned his dragon and fused it with his Dark Magician Girl. A reminder that he was a chosen duelist that should have helped Kaylie get back in her right mind, but didn't. In fact, the teenager felt like she was having an out of the body experience. Her physical body was giving all the signs that she agreed with Rafael. She agreed that the Pharaoh needed to be locked away... And she felt like it was controlling her, and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it. Her emotions had taken over.

* * *

Rafael gave the Pharaoh his Seal of Orichalcos card. Zac watched as the duel unfolded, unable to do anything. He watched his friend's eyes harden on the Pharaoh. It was then he realized she looked older than she did before. Not only that, but colder too.

"Maybe he's just getting her on his side so she won't tell the Pharaoh what's going on." Jessi suggested.

"That doesn't make sense..." Zac shook his head. "I think he knows Kaylie won't say anything because she's too scared of messing up the storyline."

"Why is she having such a hard time with it anyway?" Jessi frowned. "Everyone knows that the biker guys are bad."

Zac frowned too. He knew why Kaylie was having a hard time. She understood what Rafael was saying. Not only that, but she naturally wanted to see the best in everyone, so even the bad guys would seem good to her. She was an easy target to manipulate, especially in light of the circumstance. She'd been about to give up and commit suicide before she was taken away. She wasn't stable. "I don't think she's thinking very clearly right now." Zac sighed. "If only there were a way for me to get her to look at her phone. If I could just get her to listen, I know I can help her."

"You're running out of time..." Jessi pointed at the screen. "Look."

"Now I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!" The Pharaoh held the card up, and Zac's heart skipped a beat. He was going to lose Kaylie forever if he didn't do something, and fast.

* * *

Tea walked around the trailer nervously. She had tried to sound so sure when she was talking to Rebecca, but she couldn't help but worry about Yugi. What was more, she couldn't help but wonder why he'd chosen to take Kaylie with him, but leave the rest of his friends behind. There was something strange about that girl.

Rebecca looked up from her laptop, "Are you okay Tea?"

Tea glanced at the girl and nodded, "Yeah... I was just wondering about that girl..."

"Kaylie?" Rebecca asked.

Tea nodded, "I mean, we saw her in Japan, and now she's here. I know she told us it was Kaiba's fault, but I can't help but question it." She sighed. "I guess it's because it seems like there are never any coincidences in my life anymore. Not since meeting Yugi."

Rebecca nodded, "I know how you feel."

"I tried to see if I could learn more about her because she left her stuff," Tea motioned to the bag sitting on one of the seats. "But all I found were some letters from Mokuba, a duel deck, a torn dress, and some duel monsters cards."

"Too bad she didn't leave her phone," Rebecca looked through the dueling deck.

"What?" Tea looked up. "She had a phone?"

Rebecca nodded, "She kept looking at it last night. I just wish I knew why..."

"Me too..." Tea sat down, defeated. "I don't know what to think. She was nice enough to Joey, but sometimes I feel like she has a bad attitude problem."

"She's worse than me..." Rebecca put in.

"Well I don't know about that..." Tea grinned slyly while Rebecca protested. Soon they were both laughing.

"Hey, this is weird!" Rebecca held a card out to Tea.

"It's a Blue Eyes White Dragon!" Tea gasped. "Do you think Kaiba gave it to her?"

Rebecca laughed, "As if Kaiba would give it up willingly. Maybe she beat him in a duel!"

Tea nodded, "That would explain the dirty looks and the plane ticket to America..."

"She must be a really good duelist then," Rebecca put the card back in the deck. "So how come we've never heard about her before?"

"I don't know..." Tea looked out the window at the desert. _But you can bet I'm going to ask as soon as they get back. _


	15. The Fate of the Pharaoh Part 3

Kaylie held onto the edge of the cliff with all her might. The Seal of Orichalcos had blown her off her feet, and now she was holding on for her life. Luckily, the ropes from the broken bridge made it a little easier for her to climb back up. She still had to be careful though. There wasn't much room between the end of the seal and the edge of the cliff.

She turned her attention back to the duel, her thoughts a little more clear than they had been just minutes before. The Pharaoh's voice had changed. It had become more harsh and colder. Kaylie shook her head, trying to clear her foggy thoughts. The Pharaoh's dark side was free, and his dragon was gone. He'd chosen to play the evil card, just like he was supposed to.

It was unfortunate that this was how things had to be, but it also allowed the blonde teenager to see things the right way. As she watched the Pharaoh's monsters absorb the power of the Orichalcos, she saw the pain it caused them. It couldn't be right. She even thought about Mai, and the look on Joey's face when he realized his friend was brainwashed. It was a haunting look. It was the same look Kaylie had given herself in the mirror. It was simply the face of someone who realized the person they loved didn't care.

For whatever reason, Rafael had wanted her on his side. She frowned. That wasn't going to happen now. There was a reason he hadn't chosen to use that card, and while he may not have realized why, she did. It was evil. That was the plain and simple truth.

Yugi and his friends may not have been perfect, but they were not evil. Then again, neither was Rafael. He was doing what he felt was right, and that's pretty much all anyone had. _We're all just human. _The thought hit the teenager hard. _Zac, Me, Yugi, Rafael... Even the Pharaoh. We all make choices based on what we feel is right. Sometimes those choices hurt other people, even when we didn't intend them to. _And that's what it all came down to. There was only thing here that was truly evil, and that thing was the circle that surrounded the Pharaoh.

"Yugi!" Kaylie turned at the sound of Joey's voice. Unfortunately, so did the Pharaoh, revealing the mark on his forehead.

"No way dude!" Tristan cried.

"What's going on!?" Joey looked shocked. "Why is that Orichalcos thingy on Yugi's forehead!?"

_I'm so sorry... _Kaylie thought, turning to face them. "Joey! Tristan! Duke!"

The three teenage boys slid down the incline and joined Weevil and Rex. Kaylie turned back to the duel. She'd leave them to hear it from the other two duelists. It would spare her the task of explaining... It wasn't very fun shouting across a canyon anyway. _I know this has to happen, _She thought. _But watching it is a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. I never thought I'd ever think about what Rafael was saying and even consider it to be the right thing, let alone even think about joining up with the biker gang. In all honesty, I can't judge the Pharaoh too harshly when I myself almost gave in..._

* * *

The duel was almost over. Zac had never been so relieved by a thought so much in his life. The sooner the duel ended, the sooner Kaylie was out of danger. Rafael wouldn't be able to manipulate her if he wasn't around.

"I choose..." The Pharaoh was gearing up to end the duel. Zac bit his lip. "My very own Dark Magician Girl!"

The catapult was fired, and after Dark Magician Girl's points were cut in half, Rafael was slammed up against the barrier of the seal. _I hope Kaylie won't be doing any more dueling. _Zac frowned. _She's already been beat up, broken three of her ribs, and her stomach problems apparently aren't better. Adding dueling to the mix would be disastrous._

Kaylie wasn't looking too well as it was. The near tumble down into the canyon had obviously caused a lot of pain, but she seemed to be holding it together. She was still wearing the same shirt she'd arrived in, and she hadn't done her hair for days. Mixed with the fact that she had a talent for getting hurt, the poor girl was a mess.

_But this is the girl who tripped over her own pant leg in the lunch room and laughed it off, _Zac thought. _She doesn't exactly care what anyone else thinks about her. _He stopped himself. No. That was the kind of thinking that had made him think spreading those rumors wouldn't hurt her. She might have appeared completely bullet proof, but the more Zac learned, the more he realized she wasn't. She might not have appeared to care, but there was no doubting the fact that she did. _I guess the thing I never realized, the thing that was right in front of me... She's only human._

* * *

Kaylie looked away as Rafael obliterated the Pharaoh's life points with his Guardian Eatos. Tears streamed down her cheeks, because she knew what would happen next. Yugi would sacrifice himself to save his friend. Rafael approached the broken duelist and began taunting him. Kaylie held herself back. She couldn't interfere. This was the Pharaoh's battle. The circle surrounded her new found friend, and the blonde covered her eyes as it lit up the sky.

"Adios your highness," Rafael finished as the Pharaoh dropped to the ground. Kaylie stood up quickly, backing away. He bent down and removed the Orichalcos stone and card from the Pharaoh's possession. "You won't be needing these anymore." He then turned to Kaylie, who began to back away. "You saw what happened. You know he was evil. I know what you've been through. Come with me, and you can help us cleanse the world."

Kaylie looked back at Joey and the others. They were watching her intently. She turned back to Rafael, "You would offer me the same power that destroyed him..." She shook her head. "I can't accept it."

Rafael's eyes hardened as a helicopter rose over head, blowing dust everywhere, "You're coming with me either way."

Kaylie backed away, "No... You got what you wanted. You don't need me!"

Rafael smiled, and grabbed her by the hair, "No, but Master Dartz does." He pushed her towards the rope ladder that had descended from the air. The teenager fought back tears as she grabbed hold of it.

"What are you doing!?" Tristan called.

"Kaylie! Yugi!" Joey ran to the edge of the canyon, and stopped short.

Rafael picked the Pharaoh's unconscious body up, and grabbed onto the ladder. "Start climbing." Kaylie shook as she took each step. One wrong move, and she would fall.

"Hey you! Take your hands off him!" Joey cried desperately as they passed overhead.

"Fine!" Rafael tossed the Pharaoh's body down. "You can keep him! I already have everything of his I need!"

"Kaylie!" Weevil and Rex both cried as Rafael climbed higher, forcing the teenager to move up as well.

She took one glance at the gang before continuing her dangerous climb. There was nothing more she could do.

"Keep moving squirt!" Rafael pushed on her foot, causing her to lose her grip. She screamed as her foot slipped and she began to fall. Luckily, Rafael was ready and caught her around the waist. Pain shot through her body, and the girl fell unconscious.


	16. Trial by Stone

"Are they ever going to come back?" Tea stared down at her cup of juice. Her and Rebecca were sitting outside the trailer.

"Tea look!" Rebecca stood up and pointed towards the horizon. "It's them!"

"I told you they'd come back soon!" Tea stood up too, excited to greet her friends. "Yugi! You're here! So I guess you won!"

"Of course!" Rebecca grinned, then ran to hug what she thought was Yugi. "My Yugi always wins!"

"How'd it go!?" Tea asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Not quite..." Joey looked terribly defeated. "We got a problem guys..."

"What do you mean?" Tea felt her stomach drop.

"Yugi didn't win..." Duke was resting his chin on his steering wheel.

"He's gone," Tristan added.

"Wha?" Tea felt tears stinging her eyes.

"You heard me," Tristan replied cooly. "Yugi got beat Tea!"

Tea suddenly felt very defensive, "You're wrong! If Yugi really had lost the duel those creeps would have taken his soul with their freaky magic card Tristan!"

"So what's your point Tea?" Joey asked.

"My point!? If he's lost how can he be standing right-" Tea stopped as she turned around, realizing that Yugi wasn't the one standing behind her. "Behind me..." Realization suddenly sank in. "Oh no."

"Yugi! Talk to me!" Rebecca demanded. "What's wrong? Why are you acting so strange!?"

"Rebecca... They got him." The Pharaoh tried to explain.

"Got who?" The small girl was confused.

"Yugi," The Pharaoh sighed. "I know. This whole thing's my fault. I'm the one that unleashed the magic that took Yugi away."

"You knew that card was evil and you still played!?" Rebecca yelled. "If you really were a brave pharaoh you never would have done something like that to poor little Yugi!" She started sobbing. "This just isn't fair! How could you? I want my Yugi back! It should have been you, not him!"

"Now hold on," Tea tried to comfort Rebecca.

"Tea!" Rebecca continued to cry, hugging Tea.

"I'm afraid Rebecca's right," The Pharaoh stated.

"What's done is done," Joey tried to comfort his friend.

"I let everyone down. Especially Yugi. He warned me not to use the Seal of Orichalcos card, but my rage took control. He paid for my mistake."

"You gotta snap outta this!" Joey yelled.

"He's gone," The Pharaoh looked away. "And it's my fault."

"Get a grip man!" Joey grabbed the Pharaoh's shirt and growled in his face.

"Joey!" Tea yelled as Joey threw him on the ground.

"If we're going to rescue Yugi, we gotta move ahead, not look back!" Joey cried, obviously thinking about Mai as well. "Now pull yourself together! What we gotta do now is find out who this Dartz guy is, and where he keeps all these souls!"

"I've been suggesting we do that since day one, but no body listens to me," Duke muttered.

Tristan pulled him into a headlock, "Quit thinking about yourself for once Duke!"

"Down boy! Heel!" Duke choked out.

"Let him go Tristan!" The Pharaoh called out. Tristan complied reluctantly. "This happened because I couldn't control my anger, and if we keep fighting amongst ourselves, the Orichalcos will destroy us!"

"Hey..." Tea looked around. "Where's Kaylie?"

"They got her too," Joey growled. "The biker punk grabbed her after he defeated Yugi."

"Why!?" Tea looked stunned.

"We don't know," Duke frowned. "But he was trying to convince her to join them."

"He knows something about her that we don't," The Pharaoh said quietly. "And if we want answers, we need to find her."

* * *

Kaylie woke up to Weevil and Rex in her face. She choked back a scream, then sat up, her whole body aching, "What in oblivion?"

"You're awake!" Weevil grinned. "Just in time too! We're almost to the city!"

"Wha?" Kaylie sat up groggily.

"You're lucky I caught you," Rafael muttered to the blonde.

"You're lucky you didn't break my ribs any further," Kaylie shot back, causing Rafael to look slightly alarmed. "Or trigger a pain attack in my stomach... Oh wait, that would be why I passed out!"

"What are you talking about?" The duelist growled.

"I'm talking about my medical history ya jerk!" The blonde snapped. "Or do you not know that much about me?"

Rafael remained silent and Kaylie folded her arms. Being kidnapped was a first for her, so she wasn't entirely sure how to act.

"That must be their headquarters down there!" Weevil pointed at a building below.

"But we're smack in the middle of downtown, and they're a secret society," Rex argued.

However, sure enough, the helicopter began to land. Kaylie braced herself to run the second she could. She was not going down without a fight. Unfortunately for her, Rafael grabbed her arm as soon as the door was open, and lead her into the building with the rest of the group. She growled at him, earning a few worried glances from the other two duelists. Alister just smiled.

"I don't want to sound disrespectful guys, but why does a super evil organization have such a super lame hideout?"

"If you want to make it to your next birthday, I suggest shutting up!" Weevil advised.

"You're about to meet our master," Rafael turned as they stopped at a door. "So don't say anything too stupid." His grip on Kaylie's arm tightened.

"Yeah," Alister agreed. "He doesn't have as much patience as we do."

As the doors open, Kaylie gave one last half hearted attempt to escape, but she was no match for the massive duelist that held her.

"Mission accomplished Master," Rafael threw Kaylie forward onto the ground. Weevil and Rex were mumbling something behind her, but at this point, she didn't care. She gave her best glare at the chair at the front of the room. "You'll be happy to know that the strongest soul on Earth has been captured Master Dartz. Plus, I brought the girl who doesn't belong in this world."

_I knew it! _Kaylie frowned. _He knows I don't belong here. _

"Ah yes," An arm came out from behind the chair. Kaylie almost huffed impatiently. Why were villains always so dramatic? "The Pharaoh."

"Pharaoh?" Weevil gasped.

"What pharaoh!?" Rex asked.

_C'mon guys... _Kaylie thought. _Keep up with the program... _

"Unfortunately," Dartz continued. "You failed again." Finally the chair turned around. The first thing Kaylie thought about was taking a pair of scissors to the ancient ruler's hair. Her and her sister had always joked about that.

"That's right," Valen entered from behind a curtain. "The soul of the Pharaoh's still out there Rafael."

Everyone else, excluding Kaylie, looked surprised.

"Now watch and learn," Dartz turned the screen in front of him on.

"What's that?" Rex asked, unphased by the scary temple, unlike Weevil, who was trembling.

"The Pharaoh's spirit inhabits the body of a young man," Dartz explained. "And what we have here, is a clear case of mistaken identity."

"No way!" Rex cried.

"Yugi?" Weevil asked surprised.

But Kaylie was hardly listening. Alister and Rafael had walked away, forgetting that she was there. She stood up quietly and started inching for the door.

"Instead of the Pharaoh," Valen started. "You got the soul of some kid."

_Almost there... _

"I still don't understand..." Rafael sounded defeated.

"Then you need to clean out your ears you oversized baboon," Dartz snapped. "Both of their spirits inhabit one body. Get it? You captured the wrong soul."

Kaylie was reaching for the doorknob now. "But how?" Rafael asked. "I'm pretty sure I was dueling the Pharaoh! So the Orichalcos should have sealed him!"

"Well apparently you aren't as perceptive as you think you are because he got away," Dartz growled.

"That punk!" Rafael growled.

Dartz threw a glance at Kaylie, who stopped moving. "There's no one to blame but yourself."

"I can fix this!" Rafael knelt down. "If you'll let me."

"Hey," Weevil bumped Rex. "Let's go!"

Rex turned to face his friend, "Go where?"

Weevil grabbed Kaylie's arm just as she was about to open the door and pulled her with him and Rex towards Dartz. Soon Weevil and Rex were both kneeling in front of Dartz, but Kaylie remained standing. "Might I suggest something sir?" Weevil pulled on her pant leg, but the girl was stubborn as ever.

"Like a better hideout?" Rex put in, only to be smacked by Weevil. Kaylie rolled her eyes.

"Like a better hair cut?" She couldn't stop herself. If she was here, she might as well make the most of it. "Or just a hair cut to begin with." Weevil threw a glare up at her, but the girl folded her arms, making it apparent she had no intention of taking it back or kneeling down.

"Quiet!" Weevil hissed.

"I'm just trying to be helpful!" Rex sulked while Kaylie smirked at Dartz, who only returned a glare.

"Who are these two?" He asked. Kaylie just looked away, making it clear she wasn't going to answer.

"Haven't you heard of us?" Rex twitched. "Former regional Duel Monsters champions?"

"They're just a couple of wannabe duelists who followed us here," Rafael explained. "They've probably never even played the game."

Weevil had murder in his eyes, "Never played the game!?"

"Wannabes!?" Rex spat out. "We're great duelists, but we came here to be even better!"

"Yugi and his friends have been making fools of us for years!" Weevil shouted.

"Which really isn't that hard," Kaylie yawned while the other two duelists shot her death looks.

"I thought you were on our side," Weevil growled.

"I am on your side. It's called a joke. Learn to laugh," She shot back.

"Before they showed up we ruled the duels," Weevil continued. "But lately it seems we're just the butt of everyone's jokes." He shot a look at Kaylie.

"And no one likes being a butt!" Rex growled.

"What he means is," Weevil cut Rex off. "We want nothing more than to have our revenge! So please Mr. Dartz sir, share your dueling secrets with us and we'll help you get what you want!" Kaylie rolled her eyes at the two boys' groveling.

"Please!" Rex pleaded.

"It won't be easy," Dartz stared at Kaylie. "The Pharaoh and his little friends wield the power of the legendary dragons. How do you intend to fight against cards like those?"

"That's exactly why we need your help sir!" Weevil sat up.

Rex followed, "Yeah, we need the Seal of Orichalcos!"

Dartz turned away, "Before I share my power with you, I have to make sure you're worthy."

"Give us a chance to prove it!" Weevil begged.

"We'll do anything!" Rex nodded.

"Very well," Dartz turned back around. "These are for you," He dropped two cards to the floor, then turned and offered one to Kaylie.

"As if," She growled. "Keep your stupid card you freak."

"Show a little respect!" Rafael shot back at her.

"It's quite alright Rafael," Dartz's grin sent shivers up her spine. "I like a little spirit."

"What is this?" Rex growled, having realized the cards were blank. "Some kind of joke!?"

"Hey!" Weevil cried. "We're serious about this!"

"That makes three of us," Dartz held out two Orichalcos stones and let them float to the center of the circle.

"What's that?" Weevil trembled.

"Your test," Dartz explained. "These crystals from the Orichalcos stone will activate your cards."

"But I stink at tests!" Rex tried to cover up his fear with a little humor. "No fair!"

"All you have to do is hold the rock fragments in your hands," Dartz smiled. "If they deem you worthy of their power, you'll be able to grasp them. But if they don't, you will have to pay the price by offering up your very souls to the great Leviathan."

Rex and Weevil were suddenly hugging each other in fear. "Are you nuts!?" They both asked.

"Told you these guys were weak," Rafael spat.

Weevil pushed Rex away, "Bring on the test!"

"Yeah!" Rex agreed. "We're not gonna let a couple of rocks stand in our way of becoming champion duelists, right!?"

"That's right!" Weevil nodded. "Let's do this!"

"Ready?" Rex asked.

"Ready!" Weevil answered. They both thrust their hands into the blue light. Kaylie looked away as it pulsed. When she looked back, the test had been passed.

"What!?" Alister gasped. "Those nimrods actually passed the test!"

"Now we can play the Seal of Orichalcos," Weevil looked at his card.

"We'll be unstoppable!" Rex added triumphantly.

"Congratulations," Dartz smiled. "And welcome to our family." He turned to Rafael, "Take these two to the card room. I have some unfinished business with her." He nodded towards Kaylie.

"Alright you two, come on," Rafael grabbed Weevil and Rex and lead them out, Alister and Valen following behind. As soon as the conference room was empty, Dartz sat back in his chair.

"Miss Kaylie," He grinned at the blonde teenager. "I'm surprised to see you as feisty as ever. Rafael was confident that he had you ready to join us for a bit there."

"Yeah well manipulation never turns out well," Kaylie spat.

"It wasn't manipulation," Dartz waved his hand. "We were merely sharing the truth with you."

"Keep telling yourself that," Kaylie growled. "See where it gets you."

"That's just it though," Dartz looked her in the eye. "I don't know where it gets me, but I know someone who does."

Kaylie's heart stopped, "I'm not telling you anything."

"Didn't you ever wonder what brought you into this world dear?" Dartz stood up. "It wasn't fate saving you from your ruined life. It was me."

"Liar," Kaylie hissed. "You didn't even know I was here until you saw me with the Pharaoh, otherwise you would have made your move sooner."

Dartz's smile faltered for a second, but he continued, "You know how this all plays out. You will tell me, or I'll feed your soul to Leviathan and you'll never get home."

"See that's the problem with you," Kaylie held out her arm. "I seem to have forgotten my duel disk and dueling cards, so unless you want to force my soul from me, nice try."

Dartz turned, his smirk was back. "I didn't say I need it now."

"What?" Kaylie frowned. "Explain..."

"You see Kaylie," Dartz walked towards her, causing her to back away. "The only thing that's keeping you going right now is that one little link you have to your world. That one little voice that keeps you sane." Kaylie became very aware of the phone in her pocket. "Unfortunately, that link won't last forever. Even as we speak, its life is draining away in your pocket." Kaylie pulled her phone out and looked at the battery. Only two bars were left. It was more than half dead. "Once it's gone, you'll begin seeing things my way. I brought you here Miss Kaylie... I'm the only one who can put you back." Dartz sat back down in his chair and turned his back to her. "You're free to go."

"Just like that huh?" Kaylie turned to leave. "You're wrong you know. I'm stronger than you think I am..." With that, she walked through the door and closed it, but not before hearing Dartz's last comment.

"We'll see."

* * *

Kaylie ran into Weevil and Rex on their way out. The two duelists stopped and waited for her to join them.

"How come you didn't get a card too?" Rex asked.

"Don't need one," Kaylie muttered.

"You're not as good as you think you are you know," Weevil started. "I went easy on you in our duel."

"Do I look like a duelist?" Kaylie held out her arm. "What kind of duelist leaves her duel disk and her deck with a bunch of strangers?"

"Good point," Weevil sighed.

"You can help us out though!" Rex grabbed her hands excitedly. "You can help us get back to the top!"

"I'd rather not," Kaylie pulled away.

"Then why are you here?" Rex asked.

"I was kidnapped genius," Kaylie rolled her eyes. "But they're letting me go."

"Right..." Weevil was skeptical. "Either way, you have no where to go."

"How do you know that?" Kaylie snapped.

"Uh... Rafael told us." Rex shrugged. "Something about being from a different world."

"Of all the stupid..." Kaylie stopped herself. "Well now that my secret is out...You're right. I don't have anywhere to go."

"Then come with us!" Rex grinned.

"I'm not helping you. I don't agree with what you're doing..." Kaylie shook her head.

"Rafael told us you weren't going to stop us though, because you want to get home," Weevil grabbed her arm. "So just come with us. You don't have to do anything. We'll even let you go back to Yugi and his group because we know you won't tell them."

Kaylie pulled away, but soon both the duelists were pushing her down the hallway. "It'll be fun!" Rex said. "Especially since you know exactly how we feel, what with your friends turning their backs on you and everything. Then, when your phone dies, you'll still have us!"

_So this is all Dartz's idea... _Kaylie thought grimly. _The moment I get my hands on him... I'm cutting that hair of his and then I'm going to throttle his stupid Atlantis neck._


	17. Wherein Most Questions are Answered

(As you can tell, I've broken up following the episodes. This splurge was long enough to be its own in between chapter, so there you have it, an in between chapter. We'll resume our usually following of the episodes next time I update... Which could be who knows when since school starts tomorrow, and I won't have much time. Another reason why I decided to update this tonight, so you have at least something to read and get you to the next update that's forever away. Anyway, this is the chapter where most things get cleared up, so enjoy. :D)

Zac let out a sigh of relief when Kaylie refused the stone from Dartz. It was nice to see her back to her old self again. Unfortunately though, Zac couldn't help but agree with Dartz. Once her connection with him was gone, would she be able to stay strong? Zac wasn't as sure as she was. She wasn't stable. That much was obvious. Rafael's story had been enough to shake her up. But then again, maybe he wasn't giving her enough credit. She had jerked herself out of it without any help from him.

The other thing that had the red head worried was the fact that Dartz had claimed to be the one that brought Kaylie there. If he was telling the truth, then he very well may be the only one that could send her back. While Kaylie might believe in things like a twist in fate, Zac wasn't so sure. If it hadn't simply been a rare phenomenon that was thrust her way, the teenage boy was trying to decide whether he should punch Dartz in the face for dragging his friend into such a huge mess, or thank him for saving her life.

She would have, of course, gone through with her choice to end her life if it hadn't been for the fact that she had found herself suddenly stuck in a television show. Her presence there had given the two friends a chance to stop arguing and fight for something that they both wanted; Kaylie's safe return home. With a renewed friendship, they could begin repairing the damage that was done, and no one would need to commit suicide upon her return. If she returned.

Jessi was getting bored. Zac could tell. She kept getting up and pacing around the room. He didn't blame her. At first, watching Kaylie get towed around by Weevil and Rex had been highly entertaining, but after awhile, it became tedious. He had to admit though, watching them help her buy new clothes had been the most amusing thing all night.

It had started with Kaylie snapping at the two duelists as they dragged her away from the evil organization's headquarters. Rex and Weevil decided she'd be a lot more agreeable if she didn't look like such a mess, and proceeded to parade her through various stores and salons around town, using the money Dartz had provided, to try and win her over. Luckily, Kaylie never had been one for money and fashion. In fact, if there was one thing she hated more than sardines rolled in gasoline then dipped in glue with a topping of sweet pencil shavings, it was clothes shopping.

She managed to avoid the dorky dinosaur and creepy bug t-shirts. In fact, she had cleverly directed the two duelists towards a duel that was taking place in the streets, and shopped on her own while they were distracted. She wasn't happy with how immodest everything was by her standards, but she finally settled on a pink sweater (that, much to her dismay, left her shoulders uncovered) a purple undershirt to wear underneath, and a nice pair of jeans. She made it back to the two duelists just as the duel that held their attention ended. They were highly offended that she left them, but agreed they were glad they didn't have to do anymore shopping.

* * *

Finally, after what seemed like years, they made it to the train station. Weevil and Rex were gearing up to set their plan into action, while Kaylie looked around for Yugi. Rafael and Alister joined up with them to help set things up, and Kaylie avoided them like the plague. Apparently Dartz had told them to leave her alone, because they seemed to do the same. After a few hours had passed, she finally gave up and settled in the front car of the train. No one else was on it, so eventually she'd bump into them. Weevil and Rex still hadn't given up on the idea of getting her to help them, and she was avoiding them as much as possible.

Eventually the train did pull out of the station. Kaylie jumped when she found holographic people surrounding her. They seemed so real. She pulled herself together and began walking towards the back of the train. She'd run into the gang soon enough.

She had entered the dining car and was looking around when she felt someone's hand clamp over her mouth. Scared that it was Rafael or Alister back to kidnap her, she slammed her elbow into the stomach of her attacker then turned around as soon as he let go, ready to fight. She was shocked to find Joey doubled over in pain while Tristan snickered behind him. "Holy heck Joey!" She screamed. "What in oblivion were you thinking!?"

"He wasn't," Tristan continued to snicker.

"Good golly gee whiz!" Kaylie sat down to stop her heart from pounding. "Not a smart thing to do to someone who just escaped from her kidnappers!"

Joey grew serious quickly, "Wait... How do we know this isn't some elaborate plot they came up with?"

Kaylie's heart stopped, but she had already planned out what to say, "I would never help them with something like that Joey."

"Yeah, but how do we know they haven't brainwashed you like they did Mai!?" Joey folded his arms. "And where'd you get those new clothes?"

Things were getting way out of hand. "I- They gave them to me," She admitted. "They were trying to buy me out I guess..."

"Why?" Tristan asked. "What would an evil organization want from a squirt like you?"

"I'm older than you..." Kaylie frowned.

"Still," Joey backed his friend up. "It seems a little fishy ta me."

Kaylie didn't know what to do. Tristan and Joey were both looking at her with sharp suspicion in their eyes, and she had no explanation except the truth.

"Seems to me like you decided to join them after all," Tristan's voice was laced with poison.

"No!" Kaylie backed away. "I wouldn't do that! You have to believe me!"

"I don't know who ta believe anymore..." Joey frowned. "Maybe we outta to stop the train..."

Kaylie bit her lip, tears swelling in her eyes. If they decided to get off the train, it would ruin her chances of ever getting home. It was time to tell the truth. "I promised the Pharaoh I'd tell him the truth as soon as we got Professor Hawkins back... And I suppose I might as well keep that promise now..."

Tristan and Joey backed down a little. "I'm sure we'd all appreciate that," Tristan grinned. "And now that we have food, let the truth telling begin!"

Joey and Tristan lead her back to their car. Tea and the Pharaoh gasped when they saw her enter with their friends. Kaylie sat down in a hologram free seat, and looked at the Pharaoh, "I promised you I'd tell you the truth as soon as we rescued Professor Hawkins..." She started. "But before I do, you have to promise... You won't hate me for any of the choices I've made thus far."

"Why would I?" The Pharaoh asked.

"Because..." Kaylie bit her lip. "It's hard to explain without starting at the beginning... Just promise."

"We promise!" Tea said encouragingly.

"Yeah!" Joey gave her a thumbs up. "You haven't done anything to hurt us yet."

Kaylie winced, "That might not be true..."

"What?" Everyone gasped.

"Let me start at the very beginning..." She took a deep breath. "It begins two years ago... I was a sophomore in high school..." Everyone began to settle in. Kaylie was nervous. She hadn't told this story from beginning to end ever. "I really liked this boy... His name is Zac." She felt sick to her stomach, knowing Zac was about to hear everything from her point of view. "We met each other because we played opposite each other in a play. I'd go to rehearsal every day after hearing about how horrible my friends' lives were. Mine wasn't exactly rainbows and sunshine either, but they didn't care. I was the person they told everything. It began to weigh down on me, and theater was the only escape I had." A sad smile appeared. "Zac would always come up behind me and hug me during rehearsal... Then ask how my day had been. No one else ever cared to ask. Then, he stole my first kiss, and I stole his. It was a complete accident. A girl had been leaning in to kiss me on the cheek during rehearsal, but I turned away from her so she couldn't. I didn't know Zac was coming in on the other side, and when I turned my head, we ended up lip locked. That was the moment I realized... I might actually like this boy. After awhile, I began to put myself in situations where I know I had my back to him, and he'd come kiss me on the cheek and ask how I was doing. I had never liked anyone up to that point in my life, but he made me feel like I was someone really special. Like someone in the world cared for and needed me..." Her voice cracked. "It might seem like it's just a dumb love story. Maybe it is. Maybe I was just one of those idiot girls who gets depressed too easily..." She was rambling. "Anyway, we liked each other... And we were best friends for a year and a half. He knew everything about me, from my favorite color, to my greatest fears. I'd never opened up to anyone like I did to him..."

* * *

Zac's heart was pounding. For the first time ever, the story of him and Kaylie was being put into words. Jessi was watching now, very intently. This was going to be rough.

"But just like he knew everything about me, I knew everything about him..." A faint smile crossed the blonde's face. "I would help him write his papers because he was terrible at it... And he'd encourage me to sing, because I was terrified of what people would say. We became the power couple of the school. Rarely was one of us mentioned without talk of the other... We even had some people stalk us and take pictures of us holding hands and sleeping against each other on the bus after a field trip."

Zac laughed. He'd forgotten about that.

"It was an extremely innocent relationship..." Kaylie moved her hands slightly. Once an actress, always an actress. She never told a story without hand gestures. "I can count every time we kissed on one hand, and each time has a special story. On top of that, we never made out." Zac almost laughed. Though it was true, it was weird to see her explain it to a bunch of cartoon characters. Fortunately, none of them interrupted. "I'll spare you the details of each time..." Kaylie stopped. "This sounds really stupid explaining it to you guys... It's all just drama."

"Go ahead," Tea encouraged. "You're fine."

Kaylie sighed, "There was another girl... Her name was Kim. She had a crush on Zac too. We'd become great friends through him, but she'd never bothered to tell me. When I found out, she started using it against me every chance she got. I'd never felt so guilty in my entire life..." Zac frowned. Kim had told Kaylie that he was her boyfriend the summer before. It had been a complete lie, but Kaylie had bought it. Kim told everyone at school that Kaylie had stolen him from her, and it had torn her apart. "It hurt more than anything else, because I was having to choose between loving Zac, or being friends with Kim..."

"Doesn't sound like a very good friend to me," Joey threw in.

Kaylie nodded, "I chose to stick with Zac, but I continued to beat myself up over what happened with Kim. A few more rumors were spread, and I lost a few friends..." She sighed. "But none of that mattered to me because I had Zac, and Zac would never turn his back on me." Zac felt sick... "I've never been so wrong in my life."

* * *

Kaylie was struggling to keep the tears from flowing at this point. The last thing she needed was to make this more difficult for Zac, "A few months later during my junior year, a couple days after Valentine's Day, he told me he didn't love me anymore. It was extremely sudden, and all I could think about were the gifts he'd given me a few days before. I was shattered. We were in the middle of a play together, so I asked if he could come over so we could talk through it before rehearsal the next day so all those feelings wouldn't be floating around while we were onstage..." The teenage girl felt like she was tearing scars open again. "He agreed, but his mom came with him. She was kind of a busy body mother," A slight smile crossed her face. "We talked about things, and I told him I didn't want to be friends anymore. I didn't think I'd be able to handle being around him every day when I still loved him and his feelings weren't returned..." She looked away. "But his mom begged me to stay his friend. She told me he'd never had a friend quite like me before, who cared so much about him and his life. Eventually, I gave in, and we were on good terms with each other." Kaylie took a deep breath, "And the next three months were pure Hell for me."

* * *

Zac looked like he'd been slapped in the face. This was news to him. For those three months, Kaylie had seemed completely fine and collected. She'd never made any sign of being in pain or hurt or anything of the type. In fact, she hadn't acted like anything different had happened.

"He promised he'd still take me to Prom," She looked at her hands. "The big fancy dance at the end of the year that every American girl dreams of from the time she starts school till the time she graduates. He told me we could still go as friends, because he still thought I was a fantastic girl. I believed him because any boy who would still do that after a break up was amazing, and I knew Zac was the most amazing person I knew." Zac was shaking, trying not to turn the TV off. Hearing it from her point of view changed the way he felt about everything.

"What happened?" Tea asked, way more into the story than the boys.

"When Prom rolled around," Kaylie swallowed. "He asked the exchange student that was staying with my family." This caught the attention of Joey and Tristan.

"Not cool man," Tristan sat up.

"Definitely not," Joey added.

"It hurt worse than being told he didn't love me anymore," Kaylie wiped an escaped tear away. "And the hardest thing I ever did, was forgive him for it." It had been his mom's idea. Zac remembered the conversation they'd had before he finally gave in and asked Josie, the exchange student. He hadn't understood why Kaylie had been so mad, and the hardest thing for him to do was forgive her for being upset... But now he understood. "But I later understood that he'd been pushed into it by his mom." And she did too.

"Still," Tea frowned. "A promise."

"It's okay," Kaylie shrugged. "We're all... human."

"I don't understand," The Pharaoh frowned. "What does this have to do with us?"

"I said it was a long story," Kaylie sighed. "And I'm not anywhere near finished..."

* * *

Kaylie took the quick break to recompose herself. She had a tendency to ramble, and she was trying to get through the story before Weevil and Rex set their plan into motion. In fact, she'd left a lot of important bits out. "Anyway, a few weeks later, he told me we couldn't be friends anymore. That was crushing because I hadn't wanted to be friends months ago, but had chosen to give up what I wanted, for what he wanted. It hurt to find out he wouldn't do the same..." She had to speed up. "Long story short, we ended up friends again near the beginning of my senior year because of something I promised I'd do. It wasn't long before he was calling me his best friend again, and we were spending a lot of time together." She swallowed. "And then randomly one night, he told me we couldn't be friends again... Only this time, it was more serious."

"How so?" Tristan asked.

"This time, he became best friends with another girl who hated me," Kaylie frowned. "She was extremely manipulative, and very clever. She had no problem convincing him that I was the worst being on the planet. Not only that, but she managed to seduce him too. I tried to avoid them as much as possible because they were always flirting with each other, but they were always there..." She took a deep breath. "No matter how much I tried to keep my head down, it never worked. They began talking to my friends, and soon I found myself sitting alone at lunch... Whispers haunted my steps down the hallways as everyone stopped to talk about me. No one ever knew that I heard, but I did." Kaylie didn't bother hiding the tears this time. "Slut, whore, witch... Those were a few of the names that were tossed around. I'd never even done more than kiss one boy, but no one cared. I was the scum of the school." A shudder ran through her body as she let the tears run down her face. "The bullying continued for months without anyone intervening... All the way until graduation."

"Why didn't you stand up for yourself!?" Joey asked.

"I was too scared to," Kaylie admitted. "I was too scared to stand up to the girl that had stolen my best friend. I didn't want things to get worse."

"What did you do?" Tea asked.

"I kept my head down until graduation," Kaylie sighed. "But even after I wasn't seeing them every day, the words haunted me... And that's how I ended up here."

"What do you mean?" The Pharaoh was getting more interested.

"I thought about it for weeks," The blonde closed her eyes. "And I finally decided I would never get those words out of my head, those judgmental eyes away from my memory, until I was dead. I decided to commit suicide."

"What!?" All four of them were looking at her, shocked.

"The night I was typing up my suicide note, to let everyone know I still loved them, there was a storm. The power went out, but for some strange reason, the TV was still on," Kaylie knew they could see where this was going. They'd had experience with soul sucking TVs before. "I went to turn it off, but I blacked out the moment I touched the screen." She took a deep breath. "When I woke up, I was inside a TV show that I used to watch as a kid." The looks she was getting were quite comical, but at least they hadn't outright called her crazy yet.

"What TV show?" Tristan asked slowly.

"I ended up here Tristan," Kaylie decided to be blunt. "You're all from a TV show... And I know what happens to you."

The Pharaoh didn't want to believe what the girl was saying. He was sure no one wanted to believe what she was saying. They were being told they weren't in control of what they were doing, that they were the figment of someone else's imagination. They were being told that they weren't real. "You think you were sucked into your TV?" He asked carefully.

Kaylie nodded, "A sort of twist in fate. I was sent here the night I was going to end my life, where I could stop and rethink everything."

The Pharaoh needed to sort his thoughts. So many strange things had happened in his life, he couldn't blow this off. While he was trying to sort his thoughts out though, Joey had figured something out on his own.

"You knew Yugi was going to be taken by the seal then?" The Pharaoh's friend was trying not to yell. "You knew the Pharaoh was going to play that card, and you didn't warn him?"

The blonde teenager looked away, "I did know, and no, I didn't warn him."

"Why!?" Tea asked, horrified.

"Because telling you what happens could alter the story!" Kaylie shouted. "Good grief people! Don't you see that? If I let you know everything before it happened, you'd try to change it, and then things might not turn out the way they're supposed to!"

"You let Yugi get captured!" Joey yelled. "And you want us to trust you?"

"You asked me why Dartz wanted me to join him," Kaylie said cooly. "And I've told you. He wanted me to help him because I know the outcome of this story, and I can tell him what to avoid and what to expect." The Pharaoh didn't know what to do. Was this girl right? Would things have turned out differently if he knew he was destined to lose Yugi's soul in a duel? And if so, would it have changed everything?

"And he just let you go when you refused?" Tristan demanded.

"Not exactly..." The teenager was trying to avoid their eyes. "He's certain I'll join him as soon as my phone dies."

"Why when your phone dies?" The Pharaoh asked.

"Because that's when I lose contact with my world," Kaylie frowned. "Dartz told me he was the one who brought me here, and he's the only one who can get me back..."

"You still have contact with people in your world?" The Pharaoh was intrigued.

"Sort of..." The blonde looked at her hands. "For whatever reason, my phone only works for one number back where I'm from."

"Whose number?"

Kaylie looked him in the eye, "Zac's."

* * *

Kaylie sat in her seat, feeling very uncomfortable. The others were whispering about her, trying to decide what to do. Finally, she pulled her phone out. She could attempt some damage control while they figured out what to do.

However, when she flipped it open, she found a text from Zac already waiting for her. She took a deep breath, heart pounding, and opened it.

**Right now, the priority is to get you home. Don't worry Kaylie... You're an amazing person, and I don't hate you. Just get back here as soon as you can!**

Kaylie smiled and put her phone away before whispering, "You are too Zac... An amazing person."

"You really aren't from here are you?" She jumped as the Pharaoh spoke, embarrassed that he'd overheard her.

"No..." She sighed. "I'm not. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was going on to begin with. I was just scared I wouldn't be able to get home if I did..."

"Well don't you worry!" Joey smiled at her. "Because we've decided we're going to get you home safe and sound!"

Kaylie looked at the other three who smiled and nodded in agreement. She felt tears in her eyes and she smiled, "Thank you."


End file.
